COUNT  VON  BAUDISS1N) 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

CALIFORNIA 

IRVINE 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN 
CRACK  REGIMENT 


NEW  YORK 
DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 


PREFACE 

LIEUTENANT  BILSE,  Beyerlein,  and  Baron  von 
Schlicht,*  the  author  of  the  present  work,  with 
their  many  less-known  followers,  have  managed 
among  them  to  create  what  may  be  regarded 
as  a  novel  of  a  new  species — the  "  critical " 
military  novel.  What  is  commonly  called  the 
"  military  novel,"  has,  of  course,  long  been 
known  in  Germany,  but  it  differed  considerably 
from  the  new  species.  The  older  military  novel 
gave  more  or  less  lively  pictures  of  camp,  garrison 
and  casino  life,  and  the  gay  young  lieutenant 
who  generally  figured  as  hero  was  much  adored 
by  ladies  (as  indeed  he  still  is).  But  between 
the  lieutenant  of  romance  and  the  lieutenant  of 
stern  reality  there  is  a  gulf.  Readers  have  now 
before  them  the  lieutenant  of  reality,  and  the 
uplifting  of  the  veil  on  his  interesting,  if  not  very 
edifying,  personality  and  doings,  has  aroused 
in  Germany  a  curious  storm  of  indignation, 
especially  in  army  and  official  circles.  Indeed, 
as  may  be  remembered,  Baron  von  Schlicht 

*  This  is  a  pen-name.    The  author's  actual  name  ia  Count 
von  Baudissin. 


PREFACE 

was  "  insulted  "  over  the  present  work  in  the 
Reichstag  itself,  and  the  affair  went  so  far  that 
a  duel  nearly  followed.  The  widespread  interest 
taken  in  these  revelations  of  military  life  is 
testified  by  the  number  of  copies  of  the  present 
work  (40,000)  which  have  been  sold  in  Germany, 
though  its  circulation  is  now  forbidden  there ; 
while  for  his  outspokenness  in  this  novel  it  is 
rumoured  that  Baron  von  Schlicht  has  to  meet 
his  trial  hi  Berlin  very  shortly. 

Though  widely  known  as  the  author  of  various 
military  sketches  and  stories  of  a  more  or  less 
light  and  humorous  turn,  in  the  present  case 
Baron  von  Schlicht  shows  little  trace  of  his 
characteristic  vein.  Here,  rather,  he  devotes 
himself  seriously  to  making  what  is  in  effect  a 
detailed  and  apparently  dispassionate  expost 
in  regard  to  the  manners  and  morals  of  officers 
of  the  old  nobility  in  the  German  army.  The 
indignation  aroused  against  him  is  all  the  greater 
as  he  himself  belongs  to  the  old  nobility  which 
he  so  freely  criticises,  and  he  has  the  further 
advantage  of  speaking  from  inside  knowledge 
of  the  officers'  caste  (Offiziers-Kaste)  to  which 
he  himself  belonged  during  his  military  career. 
Lieutenant  Bilse  wrote  from  outside  this  circle 
of  the  old  nobility ;  thus  Baron  von  Schlicht 's 
work  fills  a  gap  which  Lieutenant  Bilse's  book 
still  left  open. 

R.  M. 
vi 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTIB  PAOE 

PREFACE       -  V 

I.   BY  COMMAND   OF  THE   EMPEROR  9 

II.   INTRODUCED  TO  THE   REGIMENT  28 

III.  AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY    -  "47 

IV.  A  GAME  OF  CARDS        -  7! 
V.   HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE  -  '95 

VI.   MILITARY  MORALS  -      128 

VII.  AN  ARISTOCRATIC   HOUSEHOLD       -  -      l66 

• 

VIII.   THE   WAGES   OF  SIN       -  -      221 

IX.  THE    HUMILIATION    OF    THE    "  GOLDEN 

BUTTERFLIES  "  -      24! 

X.   AN   OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE       -  -      278 

XI.   FAREWELL  TO  THE  ARMY     -  -      311 

vii 


LIFE    IN    A    GERMAN 
CRACK  REGIMENT 

CHAPTER  I 
BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

THE  "  Yellow  Butterflies,"  as  Franz  Ferdinand 
Leopold's  infantry  regiment  was  called  on  ac- 
count of  its  yellow  epaulettes,  was  celebrating 
its  anniversary  ;  the  day  when,  more  than  forty 
years  ago,  it  lost  in  a  famous  battle  a  third  of 
its  rank  and  file  and  more  than  half  of  its  officers. 
The  memory  of  the  heroic  deeds  of  the  regiment 
could  not  be  allowed  to  perish ;  the  younger 
generation  were  continually  reminded  of  them, 
and  thus  the  celebration  of  the  anniversary  of 
the  famous  battle  was  accompanied  by  the 
toast :  "In  remembrance  of  the  fallen  ;  for  the 
encouragement  of  the  living."  The  fallen,  for 
what  they  had  done,  were  given  every  year  a 
magnificent  wreath  tied  with  a  gigantic  ribbon 
of  the  regimental  colours ;  the  living,  who  had 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

as  yet  done  nothing,  were  given  a  splendid  dinner 
with  equally  splendid  wine  :  and  when  the 
enthusiasm  aroused  by  the  official  speech  of  the 
colonel,  under  the  influence  of  the  champagne, 
had  done  its  work,  the  officers  all  declared  again 
and  again  that  when  the  regiment  went  into 
battle  they  would  know  how  to  die  as  bravely 
as  their  comrades — and  they  really  meant  what 
they  swore. 

To-day  the  anniversary  was  being  celebrated 
with  especial  magnificence,  for  new  officers' 
quarters  were  to  be  opened,  which  were  to  be 
used  exclusively  as  a  mess-room.  Only  at  mid- 
day, as  he  was  preparing  his  oration,  did  it  occur 
to  the  colonel  that  the  dedication  of  this  build- 
ing, which  was  intended  for  purely  pleasurable 
purposes,  was  not  altogether  in  harmony  with 
the  solemn  anniversary  of  the  dead.  He  could 
not  very  well  say,  "  In  order  to  honour  the  noble 
dead  we  open  to-day  our  new  mess-room,  which, 
I  hope,  will  be  a  financial  success."  Certainly 
that  would  not  do.  Then  a  way  out  of  the 
difficulty  occurred  to  the  colonel ;  he  would 
simply  say,  "  And  we  vow  to  the  fallen  heroes, 
that  within  these  walls  we  will  above  all  practise 
the  spirit  of  comradeship,  and  the  soldierly 
virtues,  which  animated  them  and  fitted  them 
to  perform  their  heroic  deeds."  That  would 
make  a  suitable  impression  ;  and  so  in  a  pleasant 
frame  of  mind  he  betook  himself  to  the  mess- 

10 


room  where  there  was  much  excitement  and 
bustle.  In  the  morning  the  usual  formalities 
had  been  followed  ;  almost  all  the  former  officers 
of  the  regiment  had  appeared,  the  closely  allied 
regiments  had  sent  deputations,  and  nobody 
had  come  with  empty  hands.  A  veritable  shower 
of  silver  ornaments  had  been  poured  upon  the 
"  Golden  Butterflies,"  and  now  all  were  throng- 
ing into  the  reception-rooms,  greeting  mutual 
friends,  admiring  the  presents,  and  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  the  important  officials. 

Dinner  was  to  take  place  at  seven  o'clock, 
and  on  the  stroke  of  the  hour  the  representative 
of  His  Majesty  appeared.  Originally  the  Em- 
peror had  promised  the  regiment  the  honour  of 
his  presence,  but  at  the  last  moment  he  had 
been  prevented  from  attending. 

The  music  began,  and  hi  a  long  procession 
the  company  went  into  the  dining  hall.  A  cry 
of  admiration  broke  from  the  lips  of  everyone 
at  the  sight  of  the  magnificent  apartment  with 
its  gorgeous  decorations  and  beautifully  laid 
table. 

The  officers  of  the  "Golden  Butterflies" 
who  led  in  the  guests  swaggered  a  bit,  and  drew 
themselves  up  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Yes,  this  is 
what  we're  like,  that's  how  we  do  things.  We 
have  been  quite  long  enough  housed  in  a  fashion 
unbecoming  to  our  rank.  But  now,  where  is 
the  regiment  that  can  boast  of  such  apartments  ?  " 

ii 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

They  knew  that  on  account  of  their  old  mess- 
room,  in  which,  according  to  the  declaration  of 
a  cavalry  officer  of  the  Guards,  no  self-respect- 
ing man  could  feel  really  happy,  they  had  often 
been  slighted.  Formerly  they  had  been  the 
worst  off  in  this  respect ;  now  they  were  the 
best.  The  "  Golden  Butterflies  "  beamed  ;  each 
word  of  compliment  and  admiration  which  the 
guests  expressed  sounded  like  heavenly  music 
in  the  ears  of  the  officers,  and  each  seemed  as 
proud  as  if  it  were  due  to  him  that  at  last  they 
had  a  new  mess-room.  And  in  truth,  each  had 
done  his  share,  for  if  all  of  them  did  not  appre- 
ciate so  highly  the  calling  and  honour  of  an 
officer  as  in  bygone  days,  yet  the  officers  and 
friends  of  the  regiment  in  earlier  times  could  never 
had  raised  such  a  large  sum  as  was  required 
for  the  erection  and  furnishing  of  this  building. 
As  the  bearers  of  old  and  honoured  names,  each 
of  the  officers  was  conscious  of  his  position  and 
his  duty,  for  the  "  Golden  Butterflies "  were 
proud  to  be  considered  one  of  the  haughtiest 
and  most  exclusive  of  regiments  in  the  whole 
army. 

With  pride  they  regarded  their  guests,  all  of 
whom  bore  important  names.  A  lieutenant  of 
the  Uhlans,  Baron  Gersbach,  whom  all  knew 
as  a  great  gambler,  stuck  his  eyeglass  in  his  eye, 
examined  the  persons  at  the  table,  and  then 
turned  to  his  neighbour ;  "  Really  a  highly 

12 


BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

select  company ;  not  a  single  man  belonging 
to  the  middle  class  is  present." 

"  Yes,  but  there  is — one " 

The  Uhlan  stuck  his  eyeglass  more  firmly 
in  to  his  eye  to  discover  which  it  was. 

"  Who  is  it  ?  "  he  asked  at  last. 

"  The  architect  who  built  the  place." 

"  Ah,  well,  he  hardly  counts.  But  why  did 
you  invite  him  to  dinner  ?  " 

"  We  thought  about  the  matter  for  a  very 
long  time,  but  we  came  to  the  conclusion  we 
could  not  do  otherwise.  The  fellow  formerly 
served  in  this  regiment  for  a  year,  and  out  of 
attachment  and  love  for  the  regiment  he  drew 
up  the  plans  free  of  cost,  and  he  has  also  charged 
nothing  for  all  the  trouble  he  has  taken.  Well, 
we  had  to  show  ourselves  equally  obliging." 

The  Uhlan  nodded  approvingly.  "  Yes,  I 
quite  understand,  and  such  an  invitation  is  not 
only  the  easiest,  but  the  most  magnificent  form 
of  thanks.  To  the  end  of  his  days  the  fellow 
will  live  on  the  remembrance  of  this  evening, 
and  besides  that  it  is  a  splendid  recommendation 
for  him  to  have  dined  with  us.  I  must  say, 
considering  his  class,  he  seems  a  very  decent 
sort  of  fellow ;  fancy,  his  hands  are  manicured  ! 
What's  his  name  ?  " 

"  I  think  it's  Klipper,  Lipper,  Wipper,  or 
something  of  that  sort." 

"  Oh,  well,  it  doesn't  matter.     By  the  way, 

13 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

have  you  heard,"  went  on  the  Uhlan,  "  what  is 
said  to  have  happened  in  a  line  regiment  at  a 
festival  dinner  ?  A  fellow — I  don't  like  to  use 
the  word  comrade  in  such  a  connection — well, 
as  I  was  saying,  a  fellow  made  a  fool  of  himself, 
and  in  his  drunkenness — for  I  must  call  his 
condition  by  that  name — he  gave  an  ensign  a 
sounding  box  on  the  ears  at  the  dinner-table 
because  the  latter,  in  his  opinion,  did  not  jump 
up  quickly  enough  when  the  besotted  beast 
pledged  his  health." 

"  It's  incredible  !  " 

"  Nevertheless  it  is  true." 

"Do  you  know  what  will  happen  next  ?  " 

Baron  Gersbach  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"  What  can  happen  ?  They  cannot  fight  a 
duel,  for  it  is  impossible  for  an  ensign  to  challenge 
his  superior." 

"  Yes,  that  is  so,"  agreed  the  other. 

"There  are  only  two  possible  ways  of  settling 
the  thing :  either  the  lieutenant,  if  he  should 
ever  become  sober  again,  must  beg  the  ensign's 
pardon  in  the  presence  of  the  officers  and  all 
those  who  witnessed  the  affair,  or  the  lieutenant 
must  flee,  and  then  the  ensign  must  settle  with 
himself  whether  he  will  go  on  living  with  the 
blow  on  his  cheek  unavenged.  But  in  any  case 
his  career  is  all  over — at  any  rate  in  our  regi- 
ment. An  ensign  who  had  suffered  such  a  box 
on  the  ears  would  not  be  made  an  officer." 

14 


BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

Both  were  silent  for  a  moment,  then  the  signal 
was  given  to  fill  the  glasses.  The  two  officers 
drank  each  other's  health,  and  the  Uhlan  con- 
tinued :  "  One  can't  help  feeling  very  sorry 
for  the  unfortunate  ensign  ;  he  is  said  to  have 
been  entirely  blameless  in  the  whole  affair,  and 
to  attack  an  ensign  is  really  far  worse  than 
to  insult  one's  equal.  But  these  things  happen 
to-day  because  they  are  not  more  careful  in  the 
choice  of  men  who  are  going  to  be  officers.  To-day, 
anybody  who  has  the  necessary  cash,  and  belongs 
to  a  family  that  has  not  come  into  conflict  with 
the  police,  can  become  a  lieutenant." 

The  other  acquiesced.  "  Alas,  it  is  such  a 
pity  that  the  necessity  of  increasing  our  army 
forces  us  to  choose  officers  from  the  middle 
class." 

The  Uhlan  emptied  his  glass  again,  and  then 
said :  "  You  are  quite  right,  although  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  some  of  the  middle  class  are  very 
decent.  I  must  own  that  I  became  acquainted 
with  a  couple  of  fellows — in  our  regiment  of 
course  they  would  have  been  quite  impossible 
— but  I  met  them  several  times  in  the 
train " 

The  officer  of  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  "  looked 
up  with  astonishment.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say 
that  you  travel  second  class  ?  " 

"  Who,  I  ?  "  At  first  the  Uhlan  was  quite 
disconcerted,  then  he  laughed  loud  and  long: 

15 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  What  a  joke  !  Do  you  suppose  I  travel  second 
class  ?  Perhaps  you'll  give  me  a  free  pass  ? 
Or  do  you  think  I  act  as  an  agent,  perhaps  ? 
If  I  were  to  write  this  to  my  dear  papa  he  would 
be  highly  amused." 

It  was  long  before  the  Uhlan  had  recovered 
his  composure,  then  he  said  :  "  When  I  said  just 
now  I  had  got  to  know  these  fellows  in  the  train, 
I  was  speaking  figuratively.  I  meant  a  mere 
passing  acquaintanceship,  and  as  I  told  you 
these  people  were  really  quite  nice,  it  was  very 
amusing  to  me  to  talk  with  a  fellow  from  the 
provinces  who  lives  in  such  different  circum- 
stances. I  was  highly  amused  when  they  told 
me  how  they  spent  their  month's  salary  of  fifty 
or  sixty  marks.  Just  think,  why,  my  hair- 
dresser gets  that !  "  Then  quite  suddenly  he 
broke  off  and  said :  "By  the  way,  we  were 
disputing  yesterday  at  mess  as  to  how  long  it 
really  was  since  the  last  officer  belonging  to 
the  middle  class  had  his  discharge  from  your 
regiment." 

"  On  i5th  May  it  will  be  four  years." 

The  Uhlan  looked  up  astonished.  "  Just  fancy, 
you  remember  the  exact  date  !  " 

"  Well,  one  does  not  easily  forget  such  a 
joyful  date." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  but  haven't  you  got  a 
bourgeois  fellow  among  the  ensigns  ?  " 

"  Not  a  single  one.    The  colonel  has  laid  it 

16 


BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

down  that  under  no  circumstances  whatever  will 
he  receive  such  a  man." 

"  Very  sensible  of  him.  First  of  all,  such  a 
fellow  would  not  suit  here  at  all ;  secondly, 
he  wou]4  be  a  great  source  of  annoyance  to 
you ;  thirdly,  he  himself  would  feel  highly  un- 
comfortable. The  proper  thing  is  for  people 
to  remain  in  their  own  class.  And  the  common 
people  who  will  not  understand  that  talk  about 
'  Caste  '  feeling  and  the  '  Aristocratic  Spirit '  ! 
— well,  let  them  talk,  what  does  it  matter  to 
us?" 

After  a  slight  pause  the  officer  of  the  "  Golden 
Butterflies  "  said  :  "  Do  you  know  I  have  been 
thinking  a  good  deal  lately  about  that  '  Caste ' 
feeling  and  aristocratic  prejudice.  Whenever  the 
Guards  give  a  dinner  the  glasses  are  raised  to 
symbolise  that  the  spirit  which  inspires  the 
officers  must  remain  ever  the  same.  Now  I 
think  this  means  that  not  only  must  we  ever 
cherish  love  and  fidelity  for  the  ruling  house, 
but  also  that  we  must  ever  remain  '  first-class 
men,'  with  the  same  ideas  as  we  hold  now.  As 
bearers  of  noble  names,  and  belonging  to  the 
most  important  regiment,  we  must  ever  be 
conscious  of  our  exclusive  position,  and  so  stand 
firmly  together,  and  we  must  maintain  strictly 
the  barrier  that  divides  us  from  the  middle 
class.  Let  us  drink  once  more  to  this  hope  ;  that 
the  Guards  may  ever  remain  what  we  now  are 

17  B 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

— bearers  of  the  oldest  names,  '  first-class ' 
men  !  " 

The  conversation  of  his  neighbour  had  been 
far  too  long  for  the  Uhlan,  who  had  scarcely 
listened  to  what  he  was  saying ;  nevertheless 
he  re-echoed  his  words,  "  Let  us  drink."  But 
just  as  he  was  about  to  raise  his  glass  a  universal 
shout  arose ;  the  colonel  had  risen  and  given 
the  first  cheer  for  the  head  of  the  army,  and  the 
second  to  the  representative  of  His  Majesty, 
who  was  there  present. 

After  a  short  pause  the  latter  rose  to  thank 
them  for  the  honour  they  had  done  him,  then 
he  continued  :  "  His  Majesty  has  commanded 
me  to  express  his  extreme  regret  that  he  cannot 
be  present  to-day  at  the  anniversary  festival 
of  the  regiment ;  His  Majesty  has  been  pleased 
to  command  me  to  offer  to  the  regiment  that  has 
always  distinguished  itself  in  war  and  peace  his 
royal  greeting,  and  to  assure  the  regiment  of 
his  imperial  favour  and  his  imperial  good  wishes. 
His  Majesty  is  quite  sure  that  in  the  future, 
as  in  the  past,  he  may  always  depend  upon  the 
regiment,  and  he  knows  that  each  of  you  is  ready 
now  as  ever  to  sacrifice  his  life  for  his  country 
and  his  king,  therefore  His  Majesty  trusts  that 
the  spirit  that  has  always  distinguished  this 
regiment — the  spirit  of  good  fellowship — shall 
be  always  fostered,  and  especially,  here  in  these 
rooms." 

18 


BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

The  exalted  personage  paused,  and  a  murmur 
of  approval  ran  through  the  assembled  officers 
and  guests  who  were  standing  up  to  listen  to 
the  speech. 

"  Now  the  health  of  the  regiment  is  going  to 
be  drunk,"  they  all  said,  and  they  looked  to  see 
whether  their  glasses  were  full,  for  it  was  due  to 
each  man  that  in  his  own  regiment  his  glass  should 
be  full. 

But  the  expected  conclusion  of  the  speech 
was  not  immediately  forthcoming ;  the  exalted 
personage  was  visibly  embarrassed,  and  it  was 
apparent  to  everyone  that  he  had  still  something 
to  say,  but  could  not  for  the  moment  find  the 
right  words.  At  last  he  regained  his  composure, 
and  said  :  "  Gentlemen,  finally,  His  Majesty  has 
commanded  me  to  inform  you  that  to-day  he 
has  transferred  to  your  regiment  Lieutenant 
Winkler,  the  son  of  His  Majesty's  commercial 
adviser,  who  was  formerly  in  the  25th  Infantry 
Regiment.  And  now,  gentlemen,"  continued 
the  Prince,  in  a  louder  tone,  and  visibly  relieved, 
"  lift  your  glasses  to  the  prosperity  of  this  magnifi- 
cent regiment,  whose  officers  unite  in  themselves 
the  best  names  in  the  land,  and  whose  subalterns 
and  rank  and  file  present  a  shining  example  of  the 
most  faithful  fulfilment  of  duty — here's  to  the 
regiment.  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  hurrah  1  " 

They  felt  as  if  they  had  been  throttled ;  such 
a  sorrowful  "  hurrah "  had  never  before  been 

19 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

heard,  and  it  was  a  fortunate  thing  that  the 
loud-sounding  fanfare  echoed  through  the  hall. 

The  "  hurrahs  "  were  over,  His  Highness  had 
taken  his  seat  again,  but  the  rest  remained  stand- 
ing, staring  at  each  other  as  if  they  could  not 
have  heard  aright,  as  if  each  wanted  to  learn 
from  his  neighbour's  face  whether  what  he  had 
just  heard  could  really  be  the  fact. 

"  We  have  become  a  plebeian  regiment." 

Nobody  knew  who  pronounced  the  word  first, 
but  at  once  the  phrase  passed  from  lip  to  lip 
— "  We  have  become  plebeian." 

It  was  just  as  if  a  jug  of  cold  water  had  been 
thrown  into  their  faces,  and  indeed  when  at 
last  they  sat  down  to  the  table  again  and  the 
music  struck  up  a  merry  potpourri,  they  could 
not  grasp,  they  could  not  take  it  in,  this  in- 
evitable thing — that  once  more  a  "  commoner  " 
was  in  the  regiment. 

All  their  gay  spirits  had  fled ;  indeed  it  ap- 
peared to  the  officers  of  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  " 
as  if  a  quite  new  spirit  had  taken  possession  of 
the  building.  The  festival  had  lost  its  splendour  ; 
it  seemed  as  if  the  silver  itself  suddenly  shone 
less  brilliantly,  as  if  the  glass  were  less  finely 
cut,  and  as  if  the  hall  no  longer  possessed  the 
unique  elegance  that  had  hitherto  distinguished  it. 

A  painful  silence  reigned  at  the  table,  the 
"  Golden  Butterflies "  did  not  venture  to  talk 
to  their  guests,  for  they  knew  they  would  be 

20 


BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

besieged  by  questions  as  to  who  and  what  this 
Winkler  really  was,  where  he  came  from,  what- 
ever could  have  caused  His  Majesty  to  transfer 
him  from  his  frontier  garrison  town  to  this  proud 
and  distinguished  regiment.  It  must  have  some 
signification.  They  did  not  venture  even  to  look 
at  their  guests,  for  they  knew  that  in  the  faces  of 
the  latter  would  stand  clearly  written :  "  You 
are  no  longer  what  you  were  ;  you  cannot  indeed 
help  it  that  you  have  become  plebeian,  but  the 
fact  remains,  and  your  position  will  be  affected 
by  this  hi  the  future." 

If  only  the  news  that  they  were  to  receive  a 
plebeian  lieutenant  had  been  communicated  to 
them  privately — but  no,  it  had  been  announced 
publicly,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  assembled 
guests,  so  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  denial 
or  subterfuge.  It  was  a  direct  slap  hi  the  face 
for  them,  and  for  the  former  officers,  some  of 
whom  had  come  from  a  distance  to  be  present 
at  the  dedication  of  the  new  buildings.  And 
now  into  that  new  house  a  new  element  had 
been  introduced.  A  commoner  !  Why  had  the 
regiment  deserved  it  that  the  glory  that  had 
hitherto  distinguished  it  should  be  removed  ? 
On  the  former  occasion  when  a  plebeian  lieutenant 
had  dwelt  among  them  for  a  short  time  they  had 
all  suffered,  and  it  was  esteemed  a  special  mark 
of  the  Emperor's  favour  that  on  the  personally 
expressed  wish  of  the  officers  he  had  been 

21 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

transferred  to  a  line  regiment.  When  they  were 
again  relieved  of  the  stigma,  each  had  sworn 
to  live  more  zealously  for  the  honour  of  the 
regiment  so  that  a  plebeian  should  not  for  a 
second  time  be  received  in  their  midst.  Now 
this  very  thing  had  happened. 

The  Uhlan  had  regarded  for  a  long  time  his 
neighbour  who  was  looking  gloomily  in  front 
of  him  ;  now  he  felt  impelled  to  utter  a  sympa- 
thetic word,  and  everything  that  he  felt  in  the 
depth  of  his  heart  he  put  into  the  remark,  "  What 
a  pity  !  you  were  all  so  jolly  in  your  regiment." 

The  officer  of  the  "  Golden  Butterflies"  shrugged 
his  shoulders.  What  did  these  words  mean 
but  this :  "  The  beginning  has  been  made, 
other  commoners  will  follow  this  one,  and  even 
if  he  does  remain  the  only  one,  you  will  never 
be  again  what  you  once  were." 

The  Uhlans  were  considered  a  frightfully 
exclusive  regiment,  and  the  "  Golden  Butter- 
flies "  had  made  the  greatest  efforts  to  maintain 
friendly  and  cordial  relations  with  them.  At 
last  they  had  succeeded,  and  to-day  the  Uhlans 
almost  to  a  man  had  appeared ;  the  most  aristo- 
cratic of  regiments  had  been  feted  with  a  costly 
dinner ;  and  now,  scarcely  had  the  friendship 
been  sealed  when  it  was  immediately  threatened. 

All  breathed  more  freely  when  at  last  they 
rose  from  the  table ;  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  " 
were  most  anxious  to  talk  to  each  other,  and 

22 


BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

learn  something  more  of  their  new  comrade. 
Somebody  or  other  must  know  something  about 
him ;  the  fellow  must  have  some  sort  of  reputa- 
tion— as  much  as  was  possible  for  a  commoner, 
of  course — otherwise  His  Majesty  would  not 
have  interested  himself  on  his  behalf. 

It  was  in  this  way  that  the  men  who  had 
fallen  into  two  groups — the  guests,  and  the 
present  and  former  officers — expressed  their 
opinions ;  each  had  something  to  say  as  to  his 
idea  concerning  the  event. 

The  "  Golden  Butterflies "  surrounded  the 
adjutant  of  the  regiment,  Count  Wettborn ; 
he  had  become  quite  white,  and  was  nervously 
fidgeting  with  the  laces  of  his  faultless  patent- 
leather  boots.  After  the  colonel  the  matter  con- 
cerned him  most  closely  of  all ;  he  was  often 
the  representative  and  delegate  of  the  officers, 
and  now,  was  he  to  become  a  representative  of 
a  Winkler,  he,  a  count  ?  He  was  tall,  of  proud, 
imposing  appearance ;  on  his  breast  glittered 
as  his  latest  decoration  an  order  of  the  Fourth 
Class,  which  he  had  won  as  leader  of  the  ball  at 
court.  For  two  years  he  had  occupied  this 
proud  position ;  it  was  not  only  a  great  honour 
for  him,  but  also  for  the  whole  regiment,  and 
when  he  had  stepped  back  into  the  rank  he  had 
been  named  adjutant,  and  all  had  heartily  con- 
curred in  this  promotion,  deeming  him  the 
most  worthy  among  them. 

23 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  But,  count,  do  tell  us,  you  must  know  some- 
thing, who  is  this  Winkler,  then  ?  " 

Anxiously  they  all  looked  at  the  count ;  dead 
silence  reigned,  they  scarcely  dared  to  breathe. 

"  Gentlemen,"  at  last  said  the  adjutant, 
"  whatever  the  colonel  and  I  know  we  have 
just  learnt  from  His  Serene  Highness.  Old 
Winkler  is  a  manufacturer." 

They  felt  as  if  a  stone  had  been  rolled  from 
their  hearts.  A  manufacturer !  It  was  not 
up  to  much,  certainly,  and  not  to  be  compared, 
of  course,  with  the  social  position  of  a  country 
gentleman  or  a  chamberlain  ;  but  still,  Krupp 
had  been  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  manu- 
facturer, and  the  German  Emperor  had  called 
him  his  friend  before  the  whole  world.  A  load 
was  taken  from  their  hearts ;  but  immediately 
they  all  saw  that  the  count  had  still  something 
on  his  mind,  and  that  the  question  of  being  a 
manufacturer  had  some  connection  with  it. 

"  And  what  does  the  fellow  manufacture  ? 
Cannon  or  machines  ?  " 

"  Neither — trouser  buttons."  If  a  flash  of 
lightning  had  suddenly  struck  the  officers  they 
could  not  have  started  more  quickly  and  with 
greater  horror. 

"  Good  heavens  !  "  They  looked  around  to 
see  if  any  of  the  guests  or  the  orderlies  were 
close  by,  and  then  they  crowded  round  the 
adjutant  again. 

24 


BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

Belitz,  a  very  tall  officer,  was  the  first  to 
recover  himself  ;  he  was  on  very  good  terms  with 
the  adjutant,  almost  his  friend  indeed,  and  so 
he  ventured  to  say,  "  Don't  play  any  stupid 
jokes  upon  us,  we  are  not  in  the  mood  for  them, 
and  such  things  should  not  be  said  in  jest.  Now 
do  really  tell  us  what  the  old  fellow  manufactures." 

The  count  looked  at  the  speaker  calmly.  "  My 
dear  fellow,  I  am  not  in  the  least  in  the  mood  for 
a  joke,  but  I  told  you  the  fact.  Old  Winkler 
manufactures  buttons,  of  course,  wholesale.  He 
has  three  large  factories,  and  employs  thousands 
of  workmen,  who  are  said  to  be  splendidly  looked 
after.  For  several  years  he  has  been  on  the 
Town  Council,  and  for  three  he  has  been  com- 
mercial adviser  to  the  Emperor ;  quite  lately 
he  contributed  a  hundred  thousand  marks  to 
a  charitable  institution  which  is  under  the  special 
patronage  of  His  Majesty,  and  he  has  also  pro- 
mised a  contribution  of  twenty  thousand  marks 
for  the  next  five  years.  He  refused  an  important 
order  that  was  offered  him,  and  when  he  was 
asked  in  what  way  he  could  be  thanked,  he 
answered  that  it  would  be  an  intense  pleasure 
to  him  if  his  only  son  might  be  transferred  from 
a  frontier  garrison  town  to  Berlin,  so  that  he 
could  see  him  more  frequently.  His  wish  could 
not  be  refused,  and  so  his  son  has  come  to  us." 

After  a  slight  pause,  during  which  the  deepest 
stillness  reigned,  the  adjutant  continued  :  "  The 

25 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

transference  of  Lieutenant  Winkler  to  our  regi- 
ment is  at  the  personal  request  of  His  Majesty. 
It  behoves  us,  therefore,  not  to  criticise  His 
Majesty's  commands.  I  beg  you  to  remember 
this,  and  to  restrain  any  expressions  of 
opinion." 

It  was  perfectly  clear  and  unmistakable  that 
the  adjutant  spoke  in  the  name,  and  at  the 
request  of  the  colonel,  and  silently  one  after 
another  retired. 

But  the  silence  was  far  more  expressive  than 
words.  Dejectedly  the  "  Golden  Butterflies " 
walked  about ;  they  had  not  the  spirit  to  ask 
their  guests  to  remain  when,  much  earlier  than 
usual,  the  latter  prepared  to  depart.  It  was  a 
matter  of  complete  indifference  whether  they 
stayed  an  hour  longer  or  not ;  the  spirit  of  the 
thing  had  vanished ;  the  festivity  was  ruined. 
The  rooms  were  soon  empty,  one  after  another 
departed,  only  the  "  Golden  Butterflies "  re- 
mained. And  they,  when  at  last  they  were  quite 
alone,  asked  themselves  again,  "  Why  have  we 
deserved  this  ?  " 

In  one  corner  of  the  room,  all  huddled  up  on 
a  sofa,  sat  young  Willberg,  the  darling  and 
favourite  of  all,  a  young  lieutenant  of  six-and- 
twenty,  whose  father  had  been  in  the  regiment 
and  had  won  the  Iron  Cross  of  the  First  Class 
on  that  memorable  day.  Young  Willberg  had 
evidently  indulged  somewhat  freely  in  wine ; 

26 


BY  COMMAND  OF  THE  EMPEROR 

he  was  in  a  state  of  abject  misery,  and  wept  and 
sobbed  like  a  child. 

"  Willberg,  whatever  is  the  matter  ?  "  his 
comrades  asked  him  sympathetically,  as  they 
came  nearer  him. 

He  raised  his  face  which  was  usually  fresh 
and  youthful-looking,  but  now  the  glittering 
tears  ran  down  his  cheeks,  and  in  a  heart-breaking 
tone  of  voice  he  sobbed  out :  "  My  regiment,  my 
beloved  regiment." 

Not  a  single  one  of  those  who  stood  around 
him  could  offer  him  a  word  of  consolation — 
they  were  all  as  mournful  as  death. 


27 


CHAPTER  II 
INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

"  TO-DAY  at  twelve  o'clock  I  desire  to  speak 
with  the  officers  in  undress  uniform." 

The  colonel's  command  was  communicated  to 
all  the  officers,  and  now,  full  of  expectation, 
they  were  standing  outside  the  mess-room.  To 
the  questions :  "  What's  the  matter  with  the 
old  fellow  now  ?  Has  anyone  got  cleaned  out  ?  " 
the  answer  was  immediately  given  :  "  Winkler 
came  to-day  and  is  to  be  introduced  to  us  all." 

And  this  universal  answer  was  followed  on 
each  occasion  by  a  universal  "  Ah " — an  ex- 
pression of  the  deepest  commiseration  and  the 
greatest  disappointment.  Winkler  had  really 
come  ?  How  many  ardent  prayers  had  not 
been  raised  to  heaven  that  he  would  not  come  ! 
And  in  his  innermost  heart  each  man  had  still 
hoped  that  the  order  of  exchange  would  be 
recalled.  His  Majesty  had  heard  privately, 
through  inquiries  of  an  adjutant,  what  they 
thought  about  this  new  comrade ;  they  had 
not  concealed  their  views,  but  instead  of  the 

28 


INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

hoped-for  order  of  recall,  the  adjutant  had  one 
day  reappeared,  and  had  quite  casually,  and 
in  the  way  of  conversation,  yet  in  spite  of  that, 
with  an  official  air,  given  them  to  understand 
that  His  Majesty  was  very  vexed  at  what  he 
had  heard  of  the  officers'  views  concerning 
Lieutenant  Winkler.  His  Majesty  had  expressed 
his  sincerest  hope  that  the  regiment  would 
receive  their  new  member  with  open  arms. 
The  adjutant's  words  had  not  failed  to  have 
effect ;  not  that  the  officers  suddenly  changed 
their  views,  but  they  took  care  not  to  say  what 
they  thought  in  his  presence  any  more. 

Now  Winkler  had  really  come.  "  What  does 
he  look  like  ?  "  "  What  sort  of  an  impression 
does  he  make  ?  "  "  Has  anyone  spoken  to 
him?" 

There  was  a  torrent  of  questions.  Suddenly 
it  struck  twelve,  and  to  the  minute  the  colonel 
appeared  with  his  adjutant  and  Lieutenant 
Winkler. 

The  first  lieutenant  motioned  the  officers  to 
their  places,  and  the  colonel  immediately  began  : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  have  requested  you  to  meet 
me  in  order  to  introduce  to  you  our  new  com- 
rade, Lieutenant  Winkler.  Allow  me  to  intro- 
duce you,  Lieutenant  Winkler." 

Lieutenant  Winkler  stepped  forward  and 
saluted  hi  a  friendly  way ;  he  stood  there  erect 
and  courteous,  a  man  of  medium  size,  slim, 

29 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

yet  strong.  He  was  a  very  well  developed 
man,  and  the  becoming  uniform  of  the  "  Golden 
Butterflies,"  with  its  rich  gold  embroidery, 
suited  him  excellently ;  on  his  young  and  fresh- 
looking  countenance — he  was  twenty-seven  years 
of  age — with  its  thick,  light  moustache,  and  in 
his  clear,  blue  eyes,  was  written  energy  and 
independence.  Many  of  the  officers  there  present 
could  scarcely  conceal  a  certain  unrest  and 
embarrassment.  Winkler's  face  alone  remained 
absolutely  cool. 

The  "  Golden  Butterflies "  examined  their 
new  comrade  with  searching  eyes,  just  as  if 
they  were  examining  a  horse  that  had  been  led 
before  them.  They  cast  a  glance  at  his  figure, 
at  his  legs,  looked  him  over  to  see  if  he  would 
do  well  at  a  parade  march,  and  whether  his 
outward  appearance  was  equal  to  the  demands 
which  were  made  on  a  member  of  so  important 
a  regiment.  According  as  they  were  satisfied 
with  their  examination,  they  put  their  hands 
more  or  less  cordially,  or  in  some  cases  only  a 
finger,  to  their  caps. 

"  Lieutenant  Winkler,"  continued  the  colonel, 
"  a  very  great  honour  has  been  paid  you ;  at 
the  direct  request  of  His  Majesty  you  have  been 
made  a  member  of  a  regiment  which  can  look 
back  on  a  glorious  past,  and  whose  officers  have 
always  been  distinguished  for  the  purity  of 
their  character,  the  gallantry  of  their  spirit  and 

30 


INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

their  honourable  lives,  both  as  soldiers  and 
gentlemen.  You  come  among  us  from  a  different 
garrison,  from  totally  different  surroundings. 
You  have  been  bred  and  reared  in  circumstances 
where  people  do  not  hold  the  same  views  as  we 
do.  It  must  be  your  first  endeavour  to  become, 
in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word,  one  of  us,  for 
the  uniform  does  not  make  the  man,  it  is  the 
spirit  which  puts  the  seal  on  him.  And  the 
financial  material  circumstances  of  a  man  are 
not  without  their  influence  on  the  esprit  de 
corps  of  a  regiment.  You,  Lieutenant  Winkler, 
probably  have  the  disposal  of  an  allowance 
which  is  so  large  that  it  bears  no  relation  to 
the  small  amounts  which  most  of  my  officers 
have  to  do  with.  You,  sir,  have  grown  up  in 
a  circle  where  money  plays  the  most  important 
part,  where,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  honour 
in  which  a  man  is  held  depends  upon  the  size 
of  his  banking  account.  But  our  great  pride  is 
that,  with  our  small  means,  or  rather  I  should 
say,  in  spite  of  our  small  means,  we  remain 
what  we  are.  In  course  of  time  you  will  see 
for  yourself  how  many  of  your  comrades  are 
obliged  to  stint  themselves  merely  to  make 
both  ends  meet,  and  how  they  are  obliged  to 
deprive  themselves  of  all  kinds  of  things  in 
order  to  maintain  a  dignified  appearance.  Al- 
though I  am  delighted  to  hear  that,  while  you 
were  living  in  a  small  garrison  town,  you  were 

31 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

economical  and  eschewed  all  luxuries,  now  that 
you  are  transferred  to  Berlin  I  must  beg  you 
most  earnestly,  and  warn  you  most  emphatically, 
to  resist  the  various  temptations  that  will  assail 
you  here.  Keep  to  the  modest  mode  of  life, 
and  do  not  fall  into  the  fault,  so  easy  to  youth, 
of  boasting  of  your  riches  and  wealth,  and  of 
playing  for  large  stakes  with  your  comrades. 
If  you  attend  to  my  admonition,  then  a  friendly 
and  cordial  relationship  will  grow  up  between 
you  and  these  gentlemen,  to  whom  you  are  now 
a  stranger."  And,  turning  to  the  adjutant,  he 
continued :  "  Count,  I  beg  you  to  introduce 
Lieutenant  Winkler  now  to  the  individual 
officers." 

The  introductions  were  made  strictly  accord- 
ing to  etiquette,  beginning  with  the  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  ending  with  the  youngest  lieutenant. 

It  was  only  when  the  names  of  the  lieutenants 
were  read  out  that  there  was  any  sign  of  life 
In  Winkler's  bearing.  During  the  colonel's  long 
speech,  and  while  the  names  of  his  superior 
officers  were  being  read,  he  stood  immovable, 
his  hand  in  the  attitude  of  salute — and  everyone 
had  to  admit  that  he  stood  well — without  moving 
or  swerving.  His  face  was  so  well  under  con- 
trol that  not  a  muscle  moved,  and  not  a  line 
on'  his  countenance  betrayed  what  he  felt  at 
the  colonel's  remarks.  When  the  names  of 
the  lieutenants  were  given — he  saluted  the  first 

32 


INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

lieutenants  as  his  superiors — his  bearing  relaxed 
somewhat,  and  he  returned  the  salutes  of  his 
comrades  cordially.  And  he  saluted  well — every- 
body had  to  admit  that  likewise. 

At  last  he  was  able  to  release  his  hand,  and 
stand  at  ease  once  more  ;  his  arm  was  almost 
numb  and  the  muscles  of  his  legs  trembled  and 
smarted,  but  by  no  sign  did  he  betray  this. 

"  Lieutenant  Winkler  is  placed  in  the  second 
battalion,  fifth  company." 

All  glances  were  directed  towards  the  captain 
of  the  fifth  company,  Baron  von  Warnow ;  he 
was  considered  the  most  important  officer  in 
the  regiment ;  he  was  of  very  ancient  descent, 
which  he  could  trace  back  to  the  Emperor  Bar- 
barossa,  in  whose  campaigns  a  Warnow  had 
distinguished  himself.  He  was  married  to  a 
Countess  Mailny,  had  a  very  large  fortune,  and 
his  house  was  considered  the  most  aristocratic 
in  Berlin.  Whenever  it  was  a  question  of  repre- 
senting the  regiment,  or  of  sending  a  deputation 
anywhere,  it  was  Baron  von  Warnow  who  was 
always  nominated.  On  account  of  his  birth  and 
his  connection  with  the  most  important  families 
in  the  country  he  was  pre-eminently  fifted  for 
such  appointments.  And  he  was  just  as  dis- 
tinguished in  his  military  career  as  in  his  private 
life.  He  permitted  no  swearing  or  bad  be- 
haviour among  his  officers.  He  attempted,  as 
his  comrades  laughingly  said,  to  make  a  gentleman 

33  c 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

of  every  musketeer,  and  in  his  first  lieutenant, 
Baron  von  Felsen,  he  had  an  excellent  assistant. 
For  the  last  fortnight  he  had  only  had  one  officer 
attached  to  his  company,  for  a  short  time  ago 
his  lieutenant  had  been  thrown  while  riding  and 
had  broken  his  arm.  It  would  be  at  least  a 
month  before  he  could  be  on  active  service 
again,  but  it  had  never  occurred  to  him  that 
another  officer  would  be  assigned  to  him. 

And  now  he  was  to  have  Lieutenant  Winkler 
in  his  company — he,  Baron  von  Warnow ! 

He  could  scarcely  conceal  his  annoyance ; 
his  thick  brows  contracted,  and  he  was  about 
to  mutter  something  in  a  rage  when  he  met 
Winkler's  glance.  The  latter,  when  he  heard 
his  captain's  name,  looked  round  to  see  which 
among  the  many  to  whom  he  had  been  intro- 
duced was  Baron  von  Warnow.  When  he  saw 
the  latter's  disappointed  and  almost  furious 
countenance,  he  knew  at  once  that  that  was 
the  Baron  !  He  fixed  his  eyes  upon  him  almost 
as  if  he  was  saying  :  "  What  harm  have  I  done 
you  ?  "  Perhaps  his  face  became  a  shade  paler, 
but  his  voice  had  its  quiet,  steady  tone  when 
he  stepped  up  to  his  superior  officer  and  saluted 
him. 

Baron  von  Warnow  returned  the  salute  by  a 
bare  finger,  then  he  said :  "It  would  have  been 
more  in  order  if  you  had,  first  of  all,  saluted 
your  major." 

34 


INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

Winkler  flushed  red,  then  he  repaired  the 
omission  and  stepped  up  to.  Baron  von  Mase- 
mann,  his  superior  lieutenant,  in  order  to  get 
to  know  him  a  little  better  as  they  were  to  be 
in  the  same  company.  He  took  his  friendliness 
as  a  matter  of  course,  but  he  merely  received  a 
curt,  "  I  am  much  obliged  to  you." 

The  colonel  conversed  with  the  staff  officers ; 
the  other  officers  chattered  in  various  groups. 
Winkler  stood  quite  alone,  nobody  troubled  about 
him,  and  he  breathed  more  freely  when  the 
colonel  at  last  dismissed  the  officers. 

As  Winkler  was  turning  to  go,  his  captain, 
who  was  talking  to  the  first  lieutenant,  called  to 
him  :  "  One  moment,  if  you  please,  Lieutenant 
Winkler,"  and  after  a  little  pause  continued : 
"  I  do  not  know,  Lieutenant  Winkler,  whether 
you  are  already  aware  of  the  fact,  otherwise 
I  had  better  tell  you  at  once,  that  a  thor- 
oughly good  and  healthy  tone  is  maintained 
in  my  company ;  I  must  therefore  beg  you 
to  avoid  all  cursing  and  swearing,  my  men 
are  accustomed  to  be  treated  as  decent  per- 
sons. It  is  a  very  great  honour  for  you  to 
be  in  my  company,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
you  will  strive  to  maintain  it  worthily."  And 
turning  to  his  first  lieutenant  he  continued : 
"  My  dear  baron,  if  at  first  Lieutenant  Winkler 
does  not  find  it  easy  to  maintain  the  right  tone, 
you  will  be  kind  enough  to  help  him." 

35 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

The  first  lieutenant  acquiesced  with  a  salute, 
then  the  captain  turned  again  to  Winkler : 
"  We  shall  see  each  other  again  to-morrow  on 
duty ;  kindly  give  the  sergeant-major  your 
address,  so  that  we  may  know  where  to  send 
the  orders." 

"  Certainly,  sir." 

"  Then  there  is  nothing  more  for  me  to  say. 
I  am  obliged  to  you  for  coming,  gentlemen." 

The  two  lieutenants  turned  to  go,  and  silently 
they  walked  together  over  the  great  courtyard. 
It  was  not  till  they  had  passed  the  door  of  the 
mess-room  that  the  baron  said  :  "  We  do  not 
dine  till  six  o'clock ;  will  you  join  us  in  the 
mess-room  for  lunch  ?  " 

But  Winkler  declined.  "  I  must  go  and 
report  myself  to  the  superior  authorities,  and, 
besides,  I  have  still  a  good  deal  to  do." 

The  other  did  not  press  him  further,  and  so 
with  a  few  words  they  took  leave  of  one  another. 

Winkler  called  a  fly ;  it  was  nearly  three 
o'clock  when  he  at  last  reached  the  hotel  in 
which  he  had  taken  rooms  for  the  time  being. 

"  Have  any  letters  come  for  me  ?  "  he  inquired. 
He  had  had  no  news  from  home  for  three  days ; 
he  had  telegraphed  to  his  parents  that  he  would 
be  in  Berlin  to-day,  and  he  hoped  to  receive  a 
warm  letter  of  greeting  from  them. 

The  porter  looked  through  the  letters. 

"  Nothing  has  come  for  you,  sir." 

36 


INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

Winkler  could  scarcely  conceal  his  disappoint- 
ment. Just  to-day  when  he  felt  so  terribly 
solitary  and  alone  a  kindly  letter  from  his  parents 
would  have  been  so  very  welcome.  He  had 
been  quite  prepared  for  not  being  warmly  wel- 
comed by  his  new  regiment,  but  he  had  not  had 
the  faintest  idea  that  the  officers  would  have 
received  him  with  such  coldness  and  such  aversion. 

"  The  key  is  in  the  room  upstairs,  sir." 

With  a  troubled  air  he  went  upstairs.  To 
his  astonishment  the  door  of  the  sitting-room 
was  not  locked,  and  when  he  opened  it  and 
walked  into  the  rooms  he  was  greeted  with  a 
loud,  hearty  laugh. 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  George,  my  boy,  here's  a  surprise 
for  you,  isn't  it  ?  I  told  the  porter  I'd  wring 
his  neck  if  he  told  you  of  my  arrival ;  for  two 
hours  I've  been  sitting  here  and  waiting  for 
you.  Now,  thank  heaven,  you're  here  at  last. 
And  how  fine  you  look,  my  boy,  your  mother 
would  burst  with  pride  if  she  could  see  you 
now.  Of  course,  the  first  thing  you'll  do  is  to 
go  and  be  photographed." 

And  with  justifiable  paternal  pride  and  the 
keenest  delight  the  manufacturer  to  His  Majesty 
embraced  his  son. 

When  George  had  at  last  freed  himself,  he  said : 

"  Father,  this  is  indeed  a  surprise.  However 
did  you  get  here  ?  " 

The  old  man,   about  sixty  years  of  age,  of 

37 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

medium  height  and  strongly  built,  with  a  broad 
ruddy  face,  large  grey  eyes  and  thick  bushy 
brows,  whose  appearance  all  betokened  iron 
will  and  energy  and  great  self-confidence,  looked 
at  his  son  with  a  satisfied  glance.  "Do  you 
know  your  father  so  little,  that  you  thought 
he  would  let  you  be  here  alone  to-day  ?  I 
wanted  to  help  you  to  find  rooms,  but  above 
all  I  wanted  to  hear  how  things  were  going 
with  you,  and  to  hear  everything  that  people 
had  said  to  you  to-day.  Now  begin  and  tell 
me  everything." 

George  had  taken  off  his  helmet  and  scarf, 
and  changed  his  military  coat  for  a  comfortable 
loose  jacket ;  then  he  took  one  of  the  cigars 
which  his  father  offered  him,  and  sank  down 
into  a  chair. 

"  Now,  my  boy,  do  begin  and  tell  me  every- 
thing ;  surely  you  can  talk  while  you're  changing 
your  things.  I  know  you  always  say,  '  One 
thing  at  a  time,'  but  I  say  one  can  do  several 
things  at  the  same  time.  Do  you  think  I 
should  have  succeeded  so  well  if  I  had  done 
otherwise  ?  Why,  to-day,  I  had  my  lunch 
standing,  with  my  left  hand  I  ate,  and  with 
my  right  I  wrote  several  notes,  and  at  the  same 
time  I  gave  my  clerks  all  kinds  of  orders  and 
commissions.  So  now,  fire  away." 

With  an  expectant  expression  the  manu- 
facturer looked  at  his  son  who  still  remained 

.    .     ,  .  . 

38 


silent,  but  at  last  he  said :  "  Father,  it's  all 
happened  as  I  told  you  it  would  when  you  said 
you  had  asked  for  me  to  be  exchanged.  It  all 
happened  precisely  as  I  said  it  would,  only  it 
was  ever  so  much  worse." 

The  old  man  got  up  and  looked  at  his  son 
with  wide-open  eyes.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say " 

"  I  mean  to  say,"  continued  his  son,  "  that 
they  received  me  in  the  regiment  in  such  a 
manner  as  might  have  made  me  not  only  blush 
with  shame  but  burn  with  rage  and  anger,  as 
in  fact  I  did  inwardly.  I  was,  however,  able  to 
control  the  expression  of  my  feelings,  as  I  always 
can.  They  treated  me  to  a  long  discourse,  they 
exhorted  me  to  do  my  duty,  and  they  kept 
on  rubbing  it  into  me  that  it  was  a  tremendous 
honour  to  belong  to  their  regiment." 

"  It  certainly  is  that,"  his  father  agreed. 
"  You  should  have  seen  how  people  opened 
their  eyes  when  I  told  all  our  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances that  I  had  been  able  to  get  you 
transferred  to  the  '  Golden  Butterflies/  In  fact 
they  would  not  believe  it  until  they  saw  it  in 
black  and  white.  I  assure  you,  my  boy,  it's 
not  been  an  easy  matter  and  it's  an  expensive 
luxury.  Two  hundred  thousand  marks  is  not 
a  small  sum ;  but  I  don't  grudge  the  money." 

"  But,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  not  only 
believe — I  am  convinced — it's  money  badly  laid 
out.  When  you  wrote  to  me  first  of  all  that 

39 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

you  were  interesting  yourself  about  my  exchange, 
did  I  not  beg  you,  as  urgently  as  I  could,  not  to 
continue  your  efforts  ?  You  laughed  at  me,  and 
wrote,  '  The  "  Golden  Butterflies "  will  soon 
know  what  sort  of  a  man  they  have  in  the  son 
of  the  manufacturer  by  special  appointment 
to  His  Majesty,  and  if  they  do  not  know  they 
will  soon  have  to  learn  it.'  ' 

"  And  they  will  learn  it,  my  son,  I  assure 
you." 

George  shook  his  head.  "  They  will  never 
do  that,  father,  for  they  will  never  take  the 
trouble  to  get  to  know  me.  They  regard  me  as 
an  interloper,  a  stranger,  Even  to-day  I  am 
quite  sure  that  they  are  only  waiting  for  the 
moment  when  they  will  be  able  to  get  rid  of  me 
decently.  They  will  watch  me  closely,  they 
will  weigh  carefully  all  that  I  say,  everything 
I  do,  until  at  last  they  can  find  some  ground 
for  saying  to  me,  '  My  dear  sir,  you  are  not 
the  right  man  for  such  a  regiment  as  ours.'  And 
one  fine  morning  I  shall  find  myself  again  in  a 
little  garrison  town." 

The  old  man  burst  forth — "  Oh,  oh,  we've 
not  got  as  far  as  that  yet,  and  before  that  happens 
I  shall  have  a  word  to  say,  I  can  tell  you.  I 
stand  well  in  the  Emperor's  favour,  and  at  the 
appointed  hour  I  shall  know  how  to  open  my 
mouth." 

George    shrugged    his    shoulders.     '  Then    it 

40 


INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

will  be  too  late  and  of  no  use,  and,  besides, 
you  would  not  like  the  officers  to  be  forced  to 
keep  me  against  their  will.  I  have  suffered 
enough  already  in  coming  here  contrary  to  their 
wishes,  or  do  you  suppose  that  I  should  not 
bitterly  resent  it  that  not  one  single  word  of 
welcome  was  given  me,  not  a  single  hand  was 
stretched  out  to  me  in  greeting." 

The  veins  stood  out  on  the  old  man's  forehead. 
"  What  do  these  stuck-up  aristocrats  mean  ? 
What  do  they  pride  themselves  upon  ?  Simply 
because  they  were  by  chance  cradled  in  an 
aristocratic  family.  Is  it  any  merit  to  them 
that  they  have  a  count  or  a  baron  for  a  father  ? 
I  can't  help  laughing  at  them  !  If  that  is  all 
that  they  can  pride  themselves  upon,  then  I 
am,  indeed,  truly  sorry  for  these  stuck-up  aristo- 
crats. To  be  born  the  son  of  a  noble  is  surely 
no  merit ;  but  to  be,  as  I  am,  the  son  of  an 
inferior  official  who,  through  his  own  energy  and 
diligence,  has  worked  his  way  up  and  reached 
an  important  position,  that,  indeed,  is  a  thing 
to  be  proud  of.  And  if  these  people  do  not 
understand  that,  it  must  be  because  they  will 
not  or  cannot,  because  they  are  so  pig-headed 
and  stupid." 

The  manufacturer  had  jumped  up,  and  was 
striding  up  and  down  the  room  in  a  rage.  George 
understood  his  father  and  knew  that  when 
he  was  in  that  mood  he  must  give  free  vent 

41 


to  his  fury,  and  must  regain  his  composure 
before  he  was  accessible  to  anybody's  reasons. 
So  he  quietly  let  the  old  man  rage,  until  at  last, 
with  a  mighty  curse,  he  sank  into  a  chair  again. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  am  all  right  again  now. 
I  can't  help  thinking,  my  boy,  you  look  at  things 
in  too  black  a  light.  One  can't  altogether 
blame  these  fellows  for  regarding  you  to  a  certain 
extent  as  an  outsider,  and  if  one  takes  a  rational 
view  of  things  it  is  quite  understandable,  that 
they  did  not  receive  you  with  outstretched 
arms.  These  officers  do  not  know  you ;  they 
know  absolutely  nothing  about  you  except 
that  you  are  the  son  of  your  father,  and  as  I 
have  not  been  born  with  a  coronet  on  my 
head  that's  not  enough  for  them.  They  must, 
and  they  will,  get  to  know  you  yourself.  When 
I  consider  the  matter  quietly,  and  I  am  in  a 
sober  frame  of  mind  now,  I  must  confess  that 
the  reception  you  had  is  not  altogether  dis- 
pleasing to  me.  Lieutenants  are  not  like  school- 
girls who  swear  eternal  friendship  in  the  first 
five  minutes.  Why  should  the  '  Golden  Butter- 
flies '  be  beside  themselves  with  joy  at  the 
sight  of  you  ?  Simply  because  you're  a  hand- 
some fellow  ?  No,  no,  my  boy.  It  rests  with 
you  to  make  your  own  position  in  the  regiment, 
and  that  you  will  make  it  I  am  perfectly  certain." 

"At  least  1  will  try,  father,  and  it  shall 
not  be  my  fault  if  I  do  not  succeed." 

42 


INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

"Why  ever  should  you  not.  succeed  ?  Don't 
begin  in  that  spirit.  Hold  your  head  high. 
Look  courageously  into  the  future.  Whatever 
a  man  bestirs  himself  eagerly  to  get  can  be 
got — and  there's  no  more  to  be  said." 

George  acquiesced.  "Yes,  let  us  drop  the 
subject ;  the  future  alone  can  decide  which  of 
us  is  right.  But  there  is  one  thing  I  should 
very  much  like  to  know,  and  you  did  not  answer 
that  question  in  your  letters — wasn't  it  my 
mother's  idea  to  get  me  transferred  from  a 
line  regiment  to  the  Guards  ?  " 

The  manufacturer  laughed  complacently. 
"  Well,  if  you  really  must  know  you're  right, 
my  boy,  in  your  surmise.  You  know  your 
mother — she's  a  treasure,  but  she  would  not 
be  a  woman  if  the  money,  title,  and  position 
which  men  sing  of  did  not  turn  her  head  a  little. 
We  live  in  good  style  nowadays,  partly  on 
account  of  your  sister  Elsa.  We  entertain  a 
great  deal,  and  sometimes  it  was  not  very  pleasant 
for  your  mother  when  she  was  asked  where 
you  were,  to  have  to  admit  that  you  were  sta- 
tioned in  some  miserable  little  place  with  a 
second-rate  regiment.  Of  course,  no  one  actually 
said  anything,  but  your  mother  read  quite 
clearly  in  their  faces — *  You  see  there  are  still 
some  doors  that  money  will  not  open.'  That 
naturally  vexed  and  "annoyed  your  mother  and 
wounded  her  vanity;  she  has  only  one  son 

43 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

you  must  remember,  and  in  her  opinion  the  best 
is  not  good  enough  for  him.  She  dinned  this 
so  constantly  in  my  ears  that  at  last  I  did  what 
she  wanted." 

"  That  is  just  exactly  what  I  thought,"  said 
George.  "  I  can  see  my  mother  doing  this,  how 
she  coaxed  you — I  know  every  word  that  she 
said.  Well,  she  certainly  meant  it  for  my  benefit, 
and  now  I  do  hope  she  is  very  happy." 

The  manufacturer  burst  out  laughing. 
"  Happy,  my  boy  ?  I  tell  you  no  words  can 
express  the  happiness  she  feels  now.  She  is 
always  dressed  nowadays  in  the  best  silk  dress 
which  was  formerly  reserved  for  the  grandest 
occasions." 

George  could  not  help  laughing,  and  they 
went  on  talking  about  the  mother  and  sister, 
who  was  devotedly  loved  by  her  brother,  of 
the  home  and  the  factory,  until  the  hour  struck, 
and  George  remembered  that  it  was  high  time 
for  him  to  be  going  to  dinner. 

The  manufacturer  made  a  wry  face.  "  Can't 
we  dine  together  ?  I  thought  that  in  honour 
of  this  day  we  might  have  ordered  at  a  first- 
class  restaurant  a  dinner  which  would  have 
aroused  the  envy  of  the  immortal  gods." 

"  To-day  that  is  quite  impossible,  father ; 
on  the  very  first  day  I  must  under  no  circum- 
stances be  absent  from  the  mess  dinner  ;  perhaps 
to-morrow  I  may  be  free." 

44 


INTRODUCED  TO  THE  REGIMENT 

The  old  man  growled  with  vexation.  "  To- 
morrow is  not  to-day ;  however,  it  can't  be 
helped."  And  then  after  a  short  pause  he 
said :  "  Can  I  not  dine  with  you  in  the  mess- 
room  ?  I  thought  perhaps  I  ought  to  call 
on  your  immediate  superiors,  or,  at  any  rate, 
upon  your  colonel." 

George  was  somewhat  embarrassed.  He  was 
a  good  son,  was  proud  of  his  father  and  greatly 
loved  him,  and  just  because  of  this  he  wanted 
to  prevent  people  seeing  anything  odd  hi  his 
manners  at  dinner ;  above  all  he  was  anxious 
that  his  companions  should  have  no  occasion 
to  make  remarks  about  anything  in  his  behaviour 
that  displeased  them.  Besides,  he  was  afraid 
that  his  father,  whose  passionate,  quick  temper 
he  was  only  too  well  aware  of,  might  lose  his 
self-control  and  make  unflattering  remarks  which 
could  only  harm  them  both.  So  he  said  hesita- 
tingly :  "I'm  afraid  that  would  scarcely  do, 
father ;  it  is  an  old  custom  in  the  army  that 
on  the  first  time  an  officer  dines  with  his  new 
comrades  he  is  invited  by  them  as  a  guest,  and  as 
such  he  naturally  cannot  bring  a  guest  with  him." 

The  old  man  understood  this  more  easily 
than  George  had  dared  to  hope.  "  Very  well, 
then,  I  must  drink  my  Rhine  wine  by  myself ; 
we  shall  see  each  other  again  before  we  go  to 
bed,  and  then  you  must  tell  me  everything  that 
happened." 

45 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

But  when  George  returned  about  ten  o'clock 
he  had  nothing  much  to  relate,  at  least  nothing 
very  pleasant.  The  dinner  had  been  all  right ; 
they  had,  of  course,  drunk  his  health,  but  that 
was  all ;  the  officers'  quarters  were  splendid, 
and  George  gave  a  long  account  of  these  until 
his  father  at  last  said  "  Good-night  "  to  him. 

George  went  up  to  his  room,  but  he  lay  awake 
a  long  time,  and  thought  over  what  he  had  not 
related  to  his  father.  The  oldest  officer  at 
dinner  had  bade  him  welcome  briefly,  but  the 
words  had  sounded  cold,  and  George  said  to 
himself  that  he  only  spoke  because  he  was  obliged 
to,  and  there  was  no  heartiness  in  his  words. 
The  speech  was  followed  by  a  cheer,  glasses  were 
clinked,  and  then  the  affair  was  over.  No  one 
had  given  him  an  invitation. 

"  Why  did  I  not  remain  where  I  was  ?  What's 
going  to  happen  in  the  future  ?  " 

This  question  kept  him  awake  a  long  time, 
and  when  at  last  he  fell  asleep  he  saw  his  mother's 
glad  eyes  beaming  with  joy  at  the  distinction 
which  had  been  given  to  her  son. 


46 


CHAPTER  III 
AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

THE  regiment  had  been  back  from  the  manoeuvres 
for  five  weeks,  recruits  had  been  enlisted,  and  the 
military  and  social  festivities  of  the  winter  season 
in  Berlin  had  begun.  No  one  had  looked  for- 
ward to  the  beginning  of  winter  more  anxiously 
than  George.  Although  he  had  been  hi  the 
"  Golden  Butterflies "  nearly  six  months  he 
was  still  as  much  a  stranger  to  all  his  comrades 
as  on  the  first  day,  for  all  his  attempts  to  fraternise 
with  them  had  been  frustrated  by  their  passive 
resistance.  Now  that  the  winter  festivities  had 
begun  he  hoped  to  get  into  more  friendly  rela- 
tionship with  the  officers. 

To-day,  Captain  von  Warnow,  who  had  an 
elegant  house  with  beautifully  large  rooms, 
was  giving  a  dance,  and  had  invited  the  whole 
regiment.  Everybody  was  delighted,  for  enter- 
tainments at  the  Warnows  were  quite  different 
from  the  usual  official  parties. 

The  Warnow's  niece,  Friiulein  von  Wiedemann 

47 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

a  tall,  slender,  very  beautiful  brunette  of  three- 
and-twenty,  was  staying  with  them,  as  she  did 
every  winter.  The  young  baroness  was  an 
acknowledged  beauty,  and  although  during  the 
last  year  or  two  she  had  lost  some  of  her  charms, 
she  was  still  considered  a  very  beautiful  girl. 
Her  whole  air  and  bearing  were  distinguished, 
for  she  was  an  aristocrat  through  and  through. 
The  Wiedemanns  belonged  to  a  very  old  family, 
and  she  had  been  strictly  brought  up  in  the 
principles  of  her  class.  Her  father  had  been 
formerly  an  officer  in  a  Guards  regiment,  for 
whom  a  great  military  future  had  been  prophesied, 
but  one  day  he  had  made  a  mistake  during 
an  inspection  of  his  battalion,  and  now,  as  during 
his  military  career  he  had  spent  all  his  own 
limited  private  means,  he  lived  with  his  wife  and 
daughter  in  a  small  town  on  a  pension  of  about 
four  thousand  marks  (£200)  a  year.  His  only 
son  was  an  officer  in  an  important  Artillery 
regiment.  Great  poverty  reigned  in  the  house- 
hold of  the  pensioned  major :  the  allowance 
which  his  son  required  to  keep  up  appearances 
in  his  regiment  swallowed  up  half  his  pension, 
and  the  other  half,  in  spite  of  all  efforts,  was  not 
sufficient  to  defray  the  ordinary  expenses  of 
living.  Consequently  the  major  was  up  to  his 
ears  in  debt. 

At  first  he  had   not   troubled  himself   much 
about  this.     Hildegarde,  his  beautiful  daughter, 

48 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

would  one  day  make  a  great  match,  and  would 
then  pay  all  his  debts.  But  the  years  passed, 
and  the  splendid  match  did  not  come  off.  Hilde- 
garde  would  never  marry  well  as  long  as  she 
remained  in  a  little  provincial  town ;  then 
Frau  von  Warnow,  who  was  connected  with 
the  Wiedemanns,  and  was  very  fond  of  Hilde- 
garde,  came  forward  and  said  she  would  find 
a  suitable  parti  for  her.  Five  years  ago  Hilde- 
garde  had  gone  to  Berlin  for  her  first  visit ;  on 
all  sides  she  had  aroused  admiration,  their 
Majesties  had  noticed  her  at  court  festivities, 
but  she  was  not  yet  engaged. 

Not  that  suitors  were  lacking ;  one  after 
another  had  endeavoured  to  win  her  favour, 
but  each  in  turn  drew  back  when  he  heard 
of  her  lack  of  dowry.  None  of  the  officers 
of  the  Guards — and  neither  Frau  von  Warnow 
nor  Hildegarde  would  have  looked  at  anyone 
else — was  rich  enough  to  marry  a  girl  whose 
marriage  portion  consisted  of  her  beauty  and 
a  whole  family  plunged  in  debt.  For  it  was  not 
only  the  father's  debts  that  a  son-in-law  would 
have  to  pay,  but  a  brother's,  for  the  latter  was 
known  as  a  giddy  spendthrift  and  gambler. 
Hildegarde's  father  could  not  in  the  least  under- 
stand why  after  her  first  winter  in  Berlin  she 
returned  home  without  a  fianct.  He  had  so 
absolutely  reckoned  upon  a  wealthy  son-in-law 
that  the  non-realisation  of  his  hopes  seemed 

49  D 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

to  him  like  a  terrible  blow  dealt  him  by  Fate, 
and  it  was  long  before  he  recovered  from  it. 
But  at  last  hope  had  sprung  up  once  again  in 
his  heart,  although  there  was  really  no  prospect 
of  anything  for  either  him  or  his  daughter. 
Hildegarde's  brother  also  looked  to  her  for 
deliverance ;  it  surely  must  come  one  day, 
and  he  was  so  deeply  in  debt  that  he  could  only 
just  keep  his  head  above  water  by  opportunely 
winning  something  at  cards ;  but  that  could  not 
go  on  for  long.  His  rich  relatives  helped  him 
now  and  again  with  £50  or  so,  but  he  never 
dreamed  of  using  this  for  paying  his  debts, 
but  usually  gambled  it  away  directly  he  got  it. 
Whenever  he  was  in  a  hole  he  would  write  to 
his  sister :  "  Fulfil  the  hopes  that  are  centred 
upon  you ;  save  us  all,  and  do  not  be  so  haughty 
in  your  demands.  It  is  true  that  the  idea  of  a 
middle-class  brother-in-law,  who  has  probably 
never  worn  dress  clothes  and  has  moved  in  a 
quite  different  social  circle,  is  abhorrent  to  me, 
still  I'd  put  up  with  him  if  only  he  had  money 
and  was  willing  to  help  us." 

Hildegarde  scarcely  ever  read  these  letters 
nowadays,  for  she  know  beforehand  what  they 
contained.  Her  father  was  in  the  habit  of 
saying  exactly  the  same  things  when  a  bill 
came  to  the  house,  or  her  mother  asked  for  money 
for  housekeeping,  or  the  servants  demanded  their 
wages.  He  always  said  on  such  occasions  : 

50 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

"  Put  away  your  aristocratic  pride  until  you 
have  got  a  husband.  There  are  any  number 
of  rich  middle-class  men  who  would  be  only  too 
delighted  to  get  for  their  miserable  money  a 
beautiful  and  aristocratic  wife  who  would  intro- 
duce them  into  Society  and  give  them  a  good 
social  position.  When  you  have  got  your  hus- 
band then  you  can  be  as  aristocratic  as  ever 
you  like,  in  order  to  impress  him,  andjthe  more 
you  show  what  a  sacrifice  you  made-'when  you 
accepted  him,  the  more  he  will  love;and  honour 
you." 

Hildegarde  could  scarcely  restrain  herself  from 
crying  out :  "  What  am  I  to  do  ?  I  can  hardly 
do  anything  more  than  allow  myself  to  be  ex- 
hibited and  admired.  I  can't  very  well  actually 
offer  myself  to  the  men.  I  am  often  so  terribly 
ashamed  that  I  scarcely  know  how  to  endure 
such  a  life,  and  what  you  say  seems  horrible  to 
me.  I  cannot  understand  how  you  can^talk  to 
me  in  this  way  ;  you  ought  to  have  more  respect 
for  your  daughter  than  to  do  so.  It's  money, 
money,  everlasting  money ;  and  to  pay  your 
debts  I  am  to  sell  myself  to  the  first  best  man 
who  offers  sufficient  for  my  body." 

On  such  occasions  violent  speeches  were  on 
the  tip  of  her  tongue,  but  she  always  restrained 
herself,  for  she  knew  what  a  terrible  struggle 
her  father  had,  and  how  he  lay  awake  for  hours 
racking  his  brains  how  to  make  both  ends  meet. 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

When  he  had  first  left  the  army  he  had  delayed 
trying  to  get  an  appointment,  for  then  he  con- 
sidered it  beneath  his  dignity  to  become  the 
agent  of  an  insurance  company  or  something  of 
the  sort ;  now  it  was  too  late,  and  he  was  not 
young  enough  to  get  work.  To  the  end  of  his 
life  he  was  condemned  to  lead  this  nrserable 
existence  of  an  officer  who  had  been  pensioned 
early  :  there  was  neither  career  nor  money  for 
him.  His  wife  suffered  almost  more  than  lie 
did ;  she  was  an  elegant,  distinguished-looking 
woman,  who  longed  to  be  back  in  Berlin  and 
to  share  in  the  magnificent  entertainments 
where  she  had  been  so  much  admired.  A  violent 
dispute  had  taken  place  between  her  and  her 
husband  when  he  retired  to  the  provincial  town  ; 
she  would  deny  herself,  she  would  put  up  with 
all  kinds  of  deprivations,  but  she  longed  to 
breathe  again  the  air  she  had  formerly  enjoyed. 
"  Only  wait  a  year  or  so  until  Hildegarde  is 
married,  and  then  we  will  go  back  again  to 
Berlin,"  her  husband  had  said  to  her  again  and 
again.  And  at  last  she  had  given  in.  At  first 
she  had  firmly  resolved  to  live  very  economically 
in  the  little  town,  but  by  degrees  she  was  again 
the  distinguished  and  elegant  woman  of  society 
who  could  not  alter  her  mode  of  living  and  her 
toilettes.  She  spoke  to  her  daughter  continually 
of  her  prospective  marriage,  and  there  were 
hours  when  she  did  not  scruple  to  reproach  her 

52 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

child  violently :  "  How  is  it  that  other  young 
girls,  who  are  not  nearly  so  beautiful  and  elegant 
as  you,  get  married  ?  You  must  be  either 
very  stand-offish  or  you  must  make  it  too  ap- 
parent that  you  want  to  get  married.  Both 
attitudes  are  unsuitable." 

Hilde^arde  suffered  terribly  from  the  speeches 
and  all  the  family  circumstances,  but  she  suffered 
even  mere  on  account  of  the  visits  to  her  rela- 
tives, it  is  true  it  was  a  pleasure  to  be  in  a 
rich  household  once  again,  to  hear  nothing  of 
money  worries ;  but  letters  from  her  parents 
followed  her  to  Berlin  with  the  request  that 
she  should  borrow  money  for  them  from  their 
relatives.  Then  again  the  gaieties  were  quite 
spoiled  lor  her,  because  every  evening  before 
going  to  bed  her  aunt  used  to  say,  "  Has  nothing 
of  importance  happened  to-day  ?  "  And  even 
if  her  aunt  did  not  actually  say  this,  and  tried 
not  to  Jet  her  see  what  she  felt,  Hildegarde 
noticed  that  it  was  no  longer  a  pleasure  to  her 
aunt  to  iake  her  about,  for  she  saw  the  useless- 
ness  of  all  her  efforts,  and  would  have  preferred 
her  niece  not  to  have  visited  her  again. 

This  year  Hildegarde  had  determined  not  to 
go  to  Berlin  ;  her  pride  and  her  vanity  revolted 
against  being  a  burden  to  her  relatives  again, 
and  playing  a  despicable,  yet  pitiable,  role. 
She  had  often  noticed  both  the  contemptuous 
and  the  sympathetic  glances  with  which  she  had 

53 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

been  greeted  when  she  paid  calls ;  some  people 
privately  joked  at  the  idea  of  her  not  having 
given  up  thinking  about  a  husband,  others, 
knowing  her  straitened  circumstances,  felt 
sympathy  for  her. 

"  Under  no  circumstances  will  I  go  to  Berlin 
this  year,"  she  declared  to  her  parents.  "  I 
am  too  proud  and  too  ashamed  to  exhibit  myself 
again  at  all  the  parties,  and  yet  get  neither  a 
lover  nor  a  purchaser  !  " 

The  dispute  lasted  all  day  long,  but  at  last 
her  father,  who  was  threatened  with  a  warrant 
for  distraint  on  account  of  a  wine  bill  for  five 
hundred  marks,  fell  on  his  knees  before  her  and 
begged  her  to  save  him.  Then  at  last  her  opposi- 
tion gave  way.  But  she  felt  so  wretched  and  miser- 
able, so  degraded  and  despondent,  that  during 
the  long  railway  journey  she  constantly  wept. 

"  My  dear  child,  you  have  never  before  looked 
so  out  of  sorts ;  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  " 
her  aunt  had  asked  her,  and  she  had  only  been 
reassured  when  Hildegarde  feigned  a  violent 
headache.  Her  aunt  breathed  more  freely,  but 
next  morning  and  the  following  days  Hilde- 
garde's  looks  did  not  satisfy  her,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  conceal  the  fact  that  she  was  no 
longer  the  blooming  young  girl  that  she  had 
been.  Her  aunt  looked  at  her  sympathetically, 
and  more  to  herself  than  to  her  niece  she  said, 
"  It's  high  time— high  time  !  " 

54 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

"  Yes,  it  certainly  is,"  chimed  in  Hildegarde, 
"for  I  cannot  bear  this  life  any  longer.  If  I 
do  not  get  engaged  this  time — and  I  am  con- 
vinced I  shall  not — I  am  going  to  get  a  place  as 
a  governess  or  a  companion,  or  something  of 
the  sort.  This  I  know — I  won't  go  home  again." 

"  Hildegarde  !  "  Frau  von  Warnow  looked 
with  utter  astonishment  at  her  niece,  who  was 
sitting  opposite  her.  She  was  very  pale,  her 
eyes  had  dark  rings  underneath  them,  there  were 
melancholy,  despondent  lines  round  her  mouth. 
"  Hildegarde,  do  think  what  you  are  saying. 
You,  to  take  a  place.  You,  a  Wiedemann ! 
that  is  quite  impossible ;  on  our  account  alone 
it  would  never  do,  and  you  must  consider 
us." 

Hildegarde  did  not  answer,  but  her  eyes 
expressed  resolution  and  determination,  and 
Frau  von  Warnow  poured  forth  her  fears  to  her 
husband.  "  Just  fancy,"  she  said,  "  Hildegarde 
is  determined  that  this  will  be  the  last  time  she 
visits  us,  and  she  is  capable  of  carrying  out  her 
determination  ;  if  she  does  so,  it  will  be  a  serious 
reflection  upon  us,  and  people  will  reproach  us 
with  not  having  given  her  enough  money.  They 
will  say,  '  How  can  such  rich  people  as  the 
Warnows  allow  a  near  relative  to  take  a  situation 
and  earn  her  own  living.'  People  will  think  us 
cold  and  lacking  in  all  decent  feeling,  and  will 
say  that  even  if  Hildegarde  could  not  have 

55 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

stayed  at  home,  the  proper  place  for  her  was 
with  us." 

Captain  von  Warnow  looked  indignant,  and 
as  a  sign  of  his  vexation  he  thrust  out  his  under 
lip  and  twisted  and  twirled  his  faultlessly-pointed 
moustaches.  "  My  dear  Clara,  pray  spare  me 
these  matters ;  settle  the  affair  with  Hildegarde. 
I  have  more  important  things  to  think  about — 
in  a  few  days  the  major  will  be  present  at  the 
drill,  and,  as  you  know,  it  may  go  off  all  right, 
but  it  may  not." 

"  Quite  so,"  his  wife  agreed.  He  did  not 
perceive  the  irony  of  her  words. 

"  Ah !  I  am  glad  you  see  that ;  then  you 
will  understand  that  at  present  I  am  more 
interested  in  the  success  of  my  men  than  whether 
Hildegarde  accepts  a  post  or  not.  You  under- 
stand, don't  you  ?  " 

His  wife  quite  understood.  For  a  long  time 
her  husband  had  been  somewhat  tired  of  acting 
as  guardian  to  Hildegarde.  He  was  very  fond 
of  her,  but  her  family  got  on  his  nerves  ;  he  hated 
those  perpetual  begging-letters,  but  he  always 
gave  money,  partly  out  of  affection  for  his  niece, 
partly  because  he  felt  he  owed  it  to  his  position. 
He  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  his  cousin,  whose 
ancestors  had  been  distinguished  in  the  Thirty 
Years'  War,  being  summoned  by  a  tradesman  ; 
such  a  thing  was  out  of  the  question.  He  would 
have  much  preferred  that  his  wife  had  never 

56 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

taken  upon  herself  the  difficult  task  of  getting 
Hildegarde  married,  for  then  he  need  not  have 
been  brought  into  close  connection  with  her 
family.  He  could  not  help  it,  but  whenever 
he  received  a  letter  from  the  Wiedemanns  he 
felt  as  if  he  were  dealing  with  something  that 
was  not  quite  clean,  and  as  soon  as  ever  he  had 
read  the  letter  he  washed  his  carefully-looked- 
after  hands  with  great  ceremony. 

Frau  von  Warnow  was  very  much  perturbed 
about  Hildegarde ;  she  could  not  possibly  be 
allowed  to  take  a  situation ;  that  would  com- 
promise them  too  much :  at  the  same  time  she 
did  not  want  her  to  live  with  them.  There 
was  only  one  way  out  of  the  difficulty ;  Hilde- 
garde must  get  engaged  during  the  coming 
season,  but  the  question  was — to  whom  ?  The 
night  before  her  entertainment  Frau  von  Warnow 
lay  awake,  turning  over  in  her  mind  as  to  who 
should  take  Hildegarde  in  to  dinner,  and  it  was 
only  toward  morning  that  a  happy  thought 
occurred  to  her.  It  was  such  a  simple  one  that 
she  could  not  understand  why  it  had  not  occurred 
to  her  before.  Winkler,  of  course,  must  marry 
Hildegarde,  and  at  breakfast  she  disclosed  her 
plan  to  her  niece,  who  listened  to  it  with  indiffer- 
ence ;  this  man  or  that  was  just  the  same  to 
her  if  she  could  be  rescued  from  her  miserable 
family  circumstances,  her  wretched  poverty, 
and  was  not  obliged  to  hear  the  oft-repeated  and 

57 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

monotonous  reproaches  flung  at  her  head.  A 
quiet,  resigned  smile  played  on  her  finely-cut 
lips.  "  So  this  time  the  deliverer  was  called 
Winkler.  I  should  much  like  to  know  what 
he  looks  like,  though  probably  to  you  that  is  a 
matter  of  no  importance.  Is  he  nice  ?  " 

Frau  von  Warnow  was  somewhat  embarrassed 
for  a  moment.  "  I  don't  know  him  yet." 

"  And  yet  you  recommend  him  to  me  as  a 
husband  ?  "  The  words  breathed  irony  and 
bitterness. 

Frau  von  Warnow  quickly  recovered  her 
presence  of  mind.  "  What  do  you  want  ?  he 
is  very  rich,  his  father  is  said  to  be  a  millionaire, 
he's  simply  made  for  you.  Have  I  never  spoken 
to  you  about  him  ?  Didn't  I  ?  Well,  I  sup- 
pose I  forgot  his  name.  One  has  as  a  rule, 
thank  heaven,  so  little  to  do  with  these  middle- 
class  persons  that  one  does  not  trouble  to  re- 
member their  names.  Winkler,  however,  belongs 
to  our  regiment,  he  is  in  my  husband's  company  ; 
you  know  Eric's  views  concerning  middle-class 
officers,  but  he  is  obliged  to  admit  that  this 
Winkler  performs  his  duties  most  satisfactorily, 
and  that  probably  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
he  will  have  won  promotion.  For  Eric  to  say 
that  is  the  highest  praise.  Up  to  the  present, 
as  you  can  quite  understand,  he  has  remained 
a  rank  outsider,  although  he  must  have  been 
quite  six  months  in  the  regiment,  for  social 

58 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

prejudices  cannot  be  cast  on  one  side  so  quickly. 
Winkler  has  a  difficult  position  here ;  if  you 
became  engaged  to  him  everything  would  be 
altered  in  a  moment — he  would  then  be  distantly 
connected  with  us ;  through  you  he  would 
belong  to  one  of  the  most  distinguished  families, 
and  as  your  fiance  he  would  not  only  be  invited 
by  the  most  exclusive  people,  but — how  exactly 
can  I  express  it  ? — he  would  be  made  quite  at 
home  among  them." 

The  last  words  were  uttered  with  some  difficulty 
by  Frau  von  Warnow,  and  she  was  not  quite 
honest  in  what  she  said.  She  knew,  indeed,  that 
she  herself  would  never  look  upon  Lieutenant 
Winkler  as  a  relative,  and  that  all  the  other 
aristocratic  families  would  regard  the  marriage 
as  a  mesalliance  ;  they  would  either  not  receive 
him  at  all,  or  confine  themselves  to  entirely 
formal  intercourse  and  the  exchange  of  the 
necessary  courtesies.  But  that  was  a  matter 
of  entire  indifference ;  the  important  thing  was 
to  provide  for  Hildegarde. 

Frau  von  Warnow  was  silent  for  a  moment. 
She  was  quite  exhausted  by  her  long  speech  ; 
then  she  turned  to  her  niece  and  said :  "  Well, 
what  do  you  think  of  my  plan  ?  " 

Hildegarde  said  nothing ;  what  would  have 
been  the  use  of  saying,  "It  is  hateful  to  get 
engaged  to  a  man  in  this  way ;  a  man  whom 
I  do  not  know,  whom  I  have  never  seen,  and 

59 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

therefore  I  cannot  tell  whether  I  should  like  him 
or  not."  Her  aunt  was  so  occupied  with  her 
project  that  she  did  not  notice  Hildegarde's 
silence,  she  did  not  even  wait  for  her  answer, 
but  said,  "  Of  course,  therefore,  Lieutenant 
Winkler  will  take  you  in  to  dinner." 

"  But  will  it  not  look  odd  if  I  go  in  to  dinner 
with  an  officer  who  has  so  lately  entered  the 
regiment  when  several  of  the  older  men  will 
not  be  able  to  take  in  a  lady  ?  " 

Frau  von  Warnow  bit  her  lips  with  vexation. 
Hildegarde  was  quite  right.  She  must  not 
allow  her  project  to  be  too  apparent,  and  after 
a  moment's  thought  she  said  : 

"  Yes,  that  won't  do,  certainly.  Baron  von 
Masemann  must  take  you  in  to  dinner,  and 
Winkler  must  sit  on  the  other  side  of  you.  As  he 
comes  to  our  house  to-day  for  the  first  time  and 
belongs  to  Eric's  company,  it  will  not  attract 
attention  if  I  give  him  a  specially  good  place 
at  dinner.  Moreover,  I  intend  to  say  a  few 
friendly  words  to  him  before  all  the  other  guests. 
Perhaps,  even,  I  shall  get  Eric  to  welcome  him 
in  a  little  speech." 

But  Eric  objected.  "  That's  going  a  little 
too  far.  I  couldn't  justify  myself  to  my  com- 
rades if  I  did  that,  and  I  should  arouse  a  violent 
protest.  I  cannot  avoid  asking  Winkler  to  my 
house  as  he  belongs  to  the  regiment  and  is  an 
officer  in  my  company  ;  but  to  toast  him — to-day 

60 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

when,  with  the  exception  of  the  servants,  he  is 
the  only  middle-class  man  in  our  house — that  is 
out  of  the  question." 

Von  Warnow  was,  indeed,  absolutely  opposed 
to  his  wife's  plan  of  betrothing  Hildegarde  to 
Lieutenant  Winkler. 

"  Winkler  a  connection  of  mine  !  No,  thank 
you.  Later,  I  suppose,  I  shall  have  to  be  on 
quite  intimate  terms  with  the  fellow.  It  would 
be  far  better  for  Hildegarde  not  to  marry  at  all 
than  to  marry  a  plebeian." 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  room  indignantly, 
and  only  recovered  his  composure  when  his 
wife,  quite  against  her  real  feeling  in  the  matter, 
for  she  already  saw  the  bridal  pair  standing 
at  the  altar,  said  : 

"  You  jump  to  a  conclusion  too  quickly. 
When  that  happens  we  can  consider  the  matter." 

The  entrance  of  the  servants,  who  had  still 
many  preparations  to  make  for  the  entertainment, 
brought  the  conversation  to  an  end,  and  it  was 
now  quite  time  to  dress.  So  the  husband  and 
wife  did  not  meet  again  till  the  first  carriage 
rolled  up  to  the  door. 

"  Wherever  is  Hildegarde  ?  " 

At  last  she  appeared,  just  as  the  first  guests 
arrived.  She  looked  charming  in  her  cream 
robe,  though  there  was  a  somewhat  tired  and 
anxious  look  upon  her  face. 

Carriage  after  carriage  rolled  up  to  the  door, 

61 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

and  the  spacious  reception-rooms  were  soon  filled. 
All  the  guests  knew  one  another  and  were  frequent 
visitors  at  the  Warnows,  and  conversation  was 
soon  in  full  swing.  Most  of  them  had  not  seen 
each  other  during  the  summer,  and  there  were  no 
end  of  questions  as  to  where  they  had  been 
during  the  holidays.  They  talked  about  the 
prospective  gaieties  of  the  season,  of  the  court 
festivities,  the  programme  of  which  had  just 
appeared. 

Lieutenant  Winkler  was  apparently  the  last 
to  arrive.  He  had  purposely  come  late  so  that 
he  might  be  introduced  to  the  whole  assembly 
at  one  and  the  same  moment.  He  knew  scarcely 
any  of  the  ladies,  for  only  the  least  important 
of  them  had  included  him  in  their  visiting  list. 
Was  it  by  chance  or  intentionally  that  just  as 
he  came  into  the  room  dead  silence  reigned  ? 
George  noticed  that  the  ladies  suddenly  broke 
off  their  conversation  and  looked  at  him  coldly. 
For  a  brief  moment  he  was  embarrassed,  for 
even  the  lady  of  the  house  was  unknown  to  him. 
Which  was  she  ?  Then  Frau  von  Warnow  came 
towards  him,  and  Lieutenant  Winkler  took  a 
step  forward  and  kissed  her  hand. 

"  You  are  heartily  welcome,  Lieutenant 
Winkler.  I  am  delighted  to  see  you  among  us." 

Everybody  heard  the  words  as  Frau  von 
Warnow  had  desired,  and  so  nobody  would  be 
astonished  later  on  if  she  were  somewhat  specially 

62 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

attentive  to  him.  She  exchanged  a  few  words 
with  the  lieutenant,  and  then  she  introduced  him 
to  the  ladies.  Last  of  all  she  turned  to  her  niece. 

"  Dear  Hildegarde,  allow  me  to  introduce  to 
you  Lieutenant  Winkler." 

Hildegarde  had  purposely  kept  in  the  back- 
ground. She  had  even  attempted  to  avoid  the 
introduction.  It  was  disagreeable  to  her  even 
to  approach  a  man  whom  they  had  just  been 
discussing  in  such  a  way  that  morning,  and 
she  could  scarcely  conceal  her  embarrassment. 
George  did  not  observe  this.  He  bowed  and 
went  into  the  corridor  to  take  off  his  helmet 
and  scarf.  Hildegarde  breathed  more  freely. 
Thank  heaven !  the  first  meeting  was  over, 
and  she  made  up  her  mind  to  devote  herself 
to  the  man  who  took  her  hi  to  dinner  and  not 
trouble  about  Lieutenant  Winkler.  But  when 
they  went  into  the  dining-room  and  took  their 
places  at  the  table,  beautifully  decorated  with 
freshly-gathered  flowers,  Hildegarde  saw,  only 
too  soon,  that  during  the  year  in  which  she  had 
not  seen  her  companion  he  had  not  become 
more  amusing  or  wittier.  Baron  von  Masemann 
belonged  to  a  very  ancient  family  and  was  a 
conscientious  officer,  but  otherwise  he  was  a 
nonentity.  All  his  efforts  were  directed  towards 
being  considered  the  best-mannered  man  among 
a  set  of  well-mannered  men,  and  this  was  a  some- 
what difficult  task  in  a  regiment  that  numbered 

63 


counts  and  barons.  Thus  he  felt  it  behoved  him, 
by  his  whole  behaviour  and  bearing  not  to 
abrogate  his  dignity  in  the  slightest  degree. 
He  was  haughty  and  reserved  because  he  con- 
sidered this  to  be  well  bred,  and  he  spoke  little, 
for  he  thought  an  aristocrat  should  speak  little 
but  observe  much.  So  now  at  the  dinner-table 
he  merely  inquired  of  his  companion  in  the  politest 
possible  manner  how  she  had  been  during  the 
long  period  when  he  had  not  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  her.  He  asked  her  how  long  she  meant 
to  stay  in  Berlin,  and  when  he  had  received 
this  information,  which  did  not  in  the  least 
interest  him,  he  considered  he  had  done  his  duty. 
He  remained  silent,  and  when  Hildegarde  tried 
to  entertain  her  companion  he  listened  with  an 
artificial  air  of  interest,  and  as  a  sign  that  he  was 
paying  attention  to  her  he  now  and  again  threw 
in  a  "  Yes  "  or  "  No,"  or  other  equally  striking 
remarks. 

"  Baroness,  would  you  be  so  good  as  to  pass 
the  sauce-tureen  ?  " 

Hildegarde,  with  an  "  Excuse  me,"  turned 
to  her  right  and  took  the  bowl  from  George  to 
pass  it  to  her  neighbour  on  the  left. 

"  May  I  trouble  you  again  ? "  Once  more 
she  turned  to  the  right  and  looked  at  George 
for  the  first  time ;  until  now  she  had  studiously 
avoided  him,  and  she  was  astonished  at  the 
intelligent  expression  and  the  seriousness  of 

64 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

character  which  his  eyes  revealed ;  there  was 
nothing  of  the  Guardsman  about  him,  for  their 
only  ambition  was  to  appear  blast  and  amusing. 
Another  thing  about  him  pleased  her :  that 
was  the  look  of  genuine  admiration  and  respect 
with  which  he  regarded  her.  She  noticed  that 
he  was  attracted  to  her,  and  that  her  beauty 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  him ;  she  was 
extremely  pleased  to  find  that,  unlike  most 
young  lieutenants,  he  had  not  begun  by  paying 
violent  court  to  her,  and  acting  the  part  of  the 
irresistible  male  who  has  only  to  use  his  eyes  to 
attract  every  girl  to  him. 

"  Appearances  may  be  deceptive,  of  course," 
thought  Hildegarde,  "  but  I  have  picked  up  a 
good  deal  of  knowledge  of  human  nature  during 
the  last  few  years,  and  if  I  am  not  mistaken 
this  is  a  good  and  sensible  man."  She  suddenly 
became  desirous  of  talking  to  him.  Apparently 
he  had  not  the  courage  to  address  her,  perhaps 
he  did  not  know  what  to  say  to  her  a  complete 
stranger,  so  she  must  begin  the  conversation. 
It  occurred  to  her  that  she  might  try  and  win 
the  young  officer's  heart,  and  also  his  money, 
so  that  at  last  she  might  rescue  her  parents  and 
brother  from  their  dire  poverty. 

A  crimson  flush  mounted  to  her  cheeks,  and 
she  bent  low  over  the  plate  so  that  he  might 
not  observe  it.  Lieutenant  Winkler  misinter- 
preted her  embarrassment  and  said  frankly : 

65  E 


"  I  beg  your  pardon,  if  my  glances  have  per- 
turbed you  in  any  way.  As  excuse  I  can  only 
say  that  never  before  have  I  seen  so  much  beauty 
and  grace  united  in  one  person ;  I  had  no  in- 
tention of  making  you  feel  uncomfortable." 

The  words  sounded  so  frank  and  honourable  ; 
but  far  from  having  the  desired  effect,  they 
produced  just  the  contrary  feeling ;  once  again 
the  blood  rushed  to  her  cheeks,  for  she  felt  she 
was  playing  a  poor  part  towards  this  young 
officer.  At  last  she  recovered  her  composure, 
and  with  an  attempt  at  badinage,  she  said : 
"  What,  you  begin  to  pay  compliments  before 
the  champagne  comes !  still,  one  can't  help 
liking  them  when  they  are  expressed  so  plea- 
santly." 

"  I  am  so  glad  that  you  are  not  angry  with 
me,"  was  his  reply. 

And  now  that  the  ice  was  once  broken  they 
began  to  chatter  to  each  other.  George  possessed 
the  gift  of  conversation  to  a  high  degree  as 
#ildegarde  soon  noticed  ;  he  had  a  very  pleasant 
voice,  and  this  added  to  her  pleasure  hi  listening 
to  him.  From  every  word  that  he  spoke  she 
could  see  that  he  was  a  thoroughly  cultivated 
man,  who  had  studied  much  and  took  an  interest 
in  a  great  many  subjects.  In  knowledge  and 
general  intelligence  he  was  certainly  far  superior 
to  his  companions.  "  If  I  had  not  gone  into  the 
army  I  should  have  studied  political  economy," 

66 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

he  said  in  the  course  of  conversation.  "  My 
father  has  a  large  manufactory  and  employs 
countless  workmen ;  he  is  unceasingly  occupied 
in  trying  to  improve  their  social  and  material 
position ;  he  sees  that  they  have  cheap  and 
good  dwellings ;  he  has  built  libraries,  given 
play-grounds  and  open-air  spaces  for  the  chil- 
dren ;  in  short,  he  has  done  all  that  was  possible 
to  improve  their  condition.  Of  course,  my  father 
has  talked  to  me  about  all  these  things ;  he 
gave  me  all  sorts  of  books  to  read,  and  explained 
what  I  could  not  understand.  As  I  said  to  you, 
if  I  had  not  gone  into  the  army  I  should  have 
interested  myself  in  the  social  question." 

"  Why  did  you  go  into  the  army,  and  are 
you  satisfied  with  your  career  ?  " 

He  answered  her  second  question  only.  "  I 
have  now  been  six  years  in  the  army,  and  can- 
not say  with  a  simple  '  Yes '  or  '  No '  whether 
my  military  duties  will  satisfy  me  permanently. 
Naturally,  I  hope  and  believe  they  will,  but  if 
later  I  see  I  have  made  a  mistake,  then  I  shall 
leave  the  service,  and  take  over  the  manage- 
ment of  the  factory,  for  my  father  has  given  me 
a  completely  free  hand.  Of  course,  what  I  do 
in  the  future  naturally  depends  upon  whether 
I  get  promotion  in  the  regiment  as  you  will 
understand  without  any  further  explanations 
from  me." 

He  skilfully  turned  the  conversation  to  another 

67 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

subject  and  told  her  more  about  the  factory. 
Hildegarde  listened  with  great  interest,  for 
everything  that  she  heard  was  quite  new  to  her. 
She  had  not  the  faintest  conception  of  the  life 
and  labour  of  other  people,  and  until  then  had 
never  indeed  thought  about  such  things.  In 
the  circles  in  which  she  moved  people  either 
lived  on  their  money  or  regarded  work  more  or 
less  from  the  point  of  view  of  suitability  to  a 
person's  birth,  or  they  lived  as  grand  seigneurs 
in  poor  circumstances,  and  regarded  it  as  beneath 
their  dignity  to  work  for  money. 

The  time  passed  very  quickly ;  Hildegarde 
confined  her  attentions  to  George,  and  forgot 
all  about  Baron  von  Masemann.  The  latter 
made  several  attempts  to  address  some  feeble 
remarks  to  her,  but  when  he  saw  that  she  went 
on  talking  to  George  he  closed  his  mouth  tight. 
He  generally  occupied  himself  at  dinner  with 
observing  carefully  how  his  younger  companions 
behaved  and  whether  their  manners  and  be- 
haviour at  dinner  called  for  any  report.  This 
was  his  speciality,  and  on  account  of  this  he 
was  feared,  for  there  was  scarcely  any  enter- 
tainment which  did  not  give  him  an  occasion  for 
rebuking  his  comrades  next  day.  As  he  was 
considered  a  great  authority  on  etiquette,  people 
were  really  very  grateful  for  his  instructions, 
but  unfortunately  he  had  a  terribly  sarcastic 
and  'ironical  way  of  delivering  his  words  of 

68 


AMONG  THE  ARISTOCRACY 

wisdom,  which  irritated  the  younger  officers  far 
more  than  a  torrent  of  abusive  words. 

Hildegarde  looked  up  quite  astonished  when 
she  suddenly  saw  that  the  guests  were  rising. 
How  often  had  she  not  longed  for  the  dinner  to 
end  when  she  had  sat  by  the  side  of  a  lieutenant 
who  told  her  about  his  stupid  recruits  or  stale 
stories  which  had  no  connection  with  one  another. 
Now,  on  the  contrary,  she  was  sorry  that  the 
dinner  was  over. 

A  little  dance  concluded  the  entertainment, 
and  it  was  towards  midnight  when  the  guests 
departed.  Scarcely  had  the  last  gone  when 
Frau  von  Warnow  embraced  her  niece  warmly. 
"  Hildegarde,  I  am  happy.  I  was  continually 
watching  you  two  at  dinner  and  during  the 
dance.  Lieutenant  Winkler  couldn't  take  his 
eyes  off  you.  Mark  my  words,  this  time  the 
thing  will  come  off ;  it  was  easy  to  see  that 
the  man  was  infatuated  with  you.  To-morrow 
I  shall  write  to  your  father." 

These  words  affected  Hildegarde  like  a  stream 
of  cold  water.  For  the  first  time  for  many  a 
long  day  she  had  really  enjoyed  a  party,  and 
during  the  pleasant  conversation  she  had  quite 
forgotten  her  parents  and  her  own  miserable 
circumstances ;  now  that  the  whole  thing  stood 
out  clearly  in  her  mind  she  was  utterly  depressed. 

"  Remember  what  I  say,  Hildegarde,  hi  less 
than  three  months  you  will  be  engaged.  If  you 

69 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

had  always  been  as  amiable  and  friendly  to  men 
as  you  were  to-day  to  Lieutenant  Winkler  you 
would  have  been  married  long  ago.  Well,  to- 
day you  played  your  cards  well ;  Winkler  is 
certainly  in  love  with  you." 

If  Hildegarde  had  received  a  blow  on  the 
forehead  she  could  not  have  felt  it  more  than 
these  words.  During  the  course  of  the  evening 
she  had  completely  forgotten  her  aunt's  project 
with  regard  to  Lieutenant  Winkler,  and  now 
she  was  accused  of  trying  to  ensnare  him,  and 
this  insulting  insinuation  was  regarded  by  her 
aunt  as  the  highest  praise.  An  indignant  answer 
half  rose  to  her  lips,  but  as  usual  she  restrained 
herself.  She  had  long  ago  given  up  trying  to 
justify  herself ;  her  aunt  would  not  have  be- 
lieved her,  she  would  not  indeed  have  understood 
it. 

She  was  delighted  when  at  last  she  could  go 
to  her  own  room,  where  she  burst  into  a  flood 
of  passionate  tears.  She  was  conscious  of  having 
done  nothing  wrong,  and  yet  she  felt  as  if  she 
would  like  to  sink  into  the  earth  for  shame. 


70 


CHAPTER  IV 
A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

IT  was  some  weeks  later.  The  fifth  company 
came  on  guard  at  mid-day  and  George  was  on 
garrison  duty.  He  was  in  an  extremely  bad 
temper,  for  he  had  just  been  obliged  to  give  a 
piece  of  his  mind  to  a  sub-lieutenant,  named 
Nissew,  who  was  a  great  favourite  of  Captain 
von  Warnow.  The  captain  was  most  particular 
that  there  should  be  no  swearing  while  on  duty, 
and  he  required  his  subordinates  to  act  as  perfect 
gentlemen.  George  had  long  perceived  that 
this  was  ridiculous ;  he  himself  detested  blows, 
ill-treatment  and  brutality  towards  inferiors, 
but  on  the  other  hand  he  knew  quite  well  that 
at  the  right  moment  a  few  strong  words  worked 
wonders.  You  couldn't  manage  otherwise  in 
the  army ;  the  men  indeed  expected  that  now 
and  again  a  sounding  curse  should  descend  on 
their  heads.  But  the  captain  was  so  excessively 
polite  that  he  indeed  would  like  to  have  addressed 
his  men  as  "  Herr  So-and-so  !  "  The  men  of 
course  laughed  at  their  superior  behind  his 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

back,  and  in  George's  opinion  the  company  did 
not  work  nearly  hard  enough.  The  Poles  and 
East  Prussians  in  his  former  regiment  had  been 
far  more  active  and  well-drilled  soldiers,  it 
seemed  to  him,  than  these  troops  on  parade, 
who  were  handled  with  silk  gloves.  The  under 
officers  naturally  followed  in  their  captain's 
footsteps,  partly  because  they  agreed  with  him, 
but  largely  from  an  instinct  of  self-preserva- 
tion, for  Herr  von  Warnow  ruthlessly  got  rid  of 
any  subordinate  who  had  once  earned  his  anger 
by  cursing  or  swearing.  To  George  the  most 
disagreeable  of  all  the  inferior  officers  was  von 
Nissew,  a  one-year  service  man,  who  on  account 
of  his  noble  birth  was  regarded  as  an  enfant  gate 
by  the  captain,  and  was  later  to  be  made  a 
sergeant-major ;  he  was  a  time-server  of  the 
worst  kind,  was  always  faultlessly  dressed,  and 
his  outward  appearance  made  a  very  good  im- 
pression. George  did  not  know  how  it  was, 
but  from  the  very  first  day  he  had  taken  a  dislike 
to  him ;  he  distrusted  his  cunning  grey  eyes, 
and  it  was  extremely  unpleasant  to  him  that 
just  this  particular  officer  should  be  placed  in 
his  company,  to  a  certain  extent  to  give  him 
instructions,  and  to  be  able  to  say  to  him,  "  Cap- 
tain von  Warnow  desires  that  such  and  such  a 
thing  should  be  done." 

George  did  not  like  the  way  in  which  he  treated 
his  men.    Nissew  was  always  almost  exaggerately 

72 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

polite  to  his  inferiors,  yet  somehow  in  his  words 
there  sounded  a  secret  threat.  George  had 
often  noticed  how  the  people  trembled  before 
his  piercing,  scrutinising  glance.  This  very  day 
he  had  been  struck  by  something ;  the  sub- 
lieutenant was  giving  instructions  to  a  man  who 
had  on  several  occasions  made  a  bad  appearance 
on  parade  duty,  apparently  with  the  greatest 
politeness,  but  his  glance  had  augured  nothing 
good.  When  George  had  turned  away  he  heard 
the  officer  whisper  to  the  man,  "  Before  you  go 
on  guard  come  to  me.  I  want  to  say  a  word  to 
you,  and  arouse  your  sense  of  honour."  The 
soldier  turned  pale,  and  George  had  thereupon 
called  the  officer  aside.  He  knew  the  meaning 
of  that  expression  "  arouse  a  feeling  of  honour," 
he  knew  that  it  was  generally  accompanied  with 
blows  and  curses.  He  said  as  much  to  the  sub- 
lieutenant, forbade  him  to  summon  the  man, 
and  exhorted  him  earnestly  to  do  nothing  that 
was  not  allowed.  Nissew  assumed  an  utterly 
astonished  and  injured  expression.  How  could 
Lieutenant  Winkler  think  such  a  thing  about 
him  ?  He  had  never  done  anything  wrong. 
Captain  von  Warnow  knew  that  perfectly  well, 
and  therefore  he  had  given  him  permission, 
once  for  all,  to  call  the  men  to  account  if  they 
did  not  do  their  duty  satisfactorily.  The  sub- 
lieutenant walked  off  with  a  highly-injured 
expression,  and  George  knew  that  immediately 

73 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

the  captain  came  he  would  be  rebuked  because 
he  had  dared  to  cast  doubts  on  his  subordinate. 
And  so  it  was.  Captain  von  Warnow  saw 
immediately  that  something  was  the  matter 
with  his  favourite,  and  asked  him  what  it  was. 
Nissew  knew  perfectly  well  that  he  could  only 
make  a  complaint  of  his  lieutenant  after  twenty- 
four  hours  had  elapsed,  if  he  were  not  to  render 
himself  liable  to  punishment.  So  at  first  he 
hesitated,  but  at  the  direct  command  of  his 
superior  he  related  what  had  happened,  but  he 
related  it  in  such  a  way  that  though  it  purported 
to  be  merely  a  description,  it  was  really  a  com- 
plaint of  the  insult  he  had  just  received.  Herr 
von  Warnow  listened  silently,  then  he  said : 
"  I  must  speak  to  Lieutenant  Winkler."  He 
spoke  severely  to  him.  "  It  has  often  seemed 
to  me,  Lieutenant  Winkler,  that  you  are  sus- 
picious and  distrustful  of  Sub-Lieutenant  Nissew  ; 
I  can  assure  you  he  is  one  of  the  best  officers  in 
my  company.  You  have  only  known  him  for 
six  months.  I  have  known  him  for  three  years. 
He  has  never  given  me  the  slightest  occasion  to 
reprimand  him,  but  his  zeal  and  enthusiasm  for 
his  military  duties  will  suffer  if  you  are  con- 
tinually worrying  him,  and  it  must  deeply  wound 
him  if  you  really  think  him  capable  of  such 
shameful  behaviour,  as  ill-treatment  of  the 
soldiers  certainly  is.  I  beg  you  to  consider  my 
words  very  seriously." 

74 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

When,  therefore,  George  returned  to  his  own 
division  it  was  extremely  disagreeable  to  him 
to  have  to  share  duties  with  Nissew ;  he  saw 
quite  clearly  the  malicious  glance  that  he  now 
and  again  gave  him  on  the  sly,  and  yet  he  had  to 
act  as  H  he  saw  nothing.  He  had  no  desire  to 
rebuke  him  a  second  time,  and  to  be  rebuked 
himself  a  second  time ;  the  relations  between 
him  and  his  captain  had  so  far  been  tolerably 
pleasant.  He  did  not  want  to  destroy  them 
intentionally.  "  Whatever  does  it  matter  to 
me  ?  "  he  said  to  himself  at  last ;  "  after  all, 
it  is  not  I  who  am  responsible  for  the  men  but 
the  captain,  and  if  he  thinks  his  lieutenant  the 
epitome  of  perfection  it  is  all  right." 

He  therefore  determined  not  to  trouble  him- 
self any  more  about  his  subordinate,  and  after  a 
few  weeks  he  discovered  that  this  was  the  most 
sensible  thing  to  do.  Captain  von  Warnow 
had  inquired  whether  he  left  Nissew  alone, 
and  when  the  latter  replied  in  the  affirmative  he 
became  quite  friendly  with  George  again. 

As  far  as  his  military  duties  were  concerned, 
George  got  on  very  well ;  his  men  had  been 
praised  on  inspection  parade,  his  drill  during 
the  winter  had  been  considered  good,  and  the 
performance  of  his  duties  as  an  officer  had  been 
well  spoken  of.  He  was  really  an  excellent 
officer ;  his  appearance  on  parade,  his  personal 
bearing  and  his  behaviour  to  his  subordinates 

75 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

gave  occasion  for  no  adverse  criticism ;  he  was 
strict  and  honourable,  and  impartial  in  his 
treatment.  Thus  he  soon  won  the  respect  of 
his  men,  and  when  one  day  his  orderly  fell  ill, 
and  the  sergeant-major  asked  who  would  volun- 
tarily act  as  Lieutenant  Winkler's  servant,  almost 
the  whole  company  offered.  Even  Captain  von 
Warnow  was  pleased  when  he  heard  this,  and 
his  men's  behaviour  filled  George  with  justifiable 
satisfaction ;  it  was  a  delightful  feeling  to  him 
to  know  that  he  had  been  able  to  win  his  men's 
affection  to  such  an  extent. 

Officially  things  were  going  on  well  with 
George,  but  socially  he  was  no  better  off  than 
on  the  first  day  he  had  entered  the  regiment. 
He  was  obliged  to  confess  himself  that  he  had 
not  advanced  one  step.  It  was  certainly  not 
his  fault.  He  was  not  extravagant  in  his  mode 
of  life,  he  was  modest  in  his  behaviour,  courteous 
towards  his  elders,  and  from  a  remark  he  had 
heard  by  chance  he  knew  that  his  comrades 
thought  highly  of  him  for  not  being  ostentatious 
with  his  money,  and  for  "  messing  "  just  as  they 
did. 

George  had  made  several  attempts  and  had 
really  exerted  himself  to  try  and  get  to  know 
some  of  his  comrades  better,  to  discover  their 
true  character,  and  find  out  whether  the  distant 
and  reserved  air  that  they  always  wore  was  a 
mask,  or  corresponded  to  their  real  nature.  In 

76 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

this  particular  respect  he  was  specially  interested 
in  his  colleague  in  the  company,  Baron  von 
Masemann.  Even  in  intercourse  with  his  con- 
temporaries he  acted  as  if  he  were  at  court.  An 
artificial  restrained  air  reigned  at  meals,  so 
George  thought ;  they  talked  a  good  deal,  of 
course,  but  there  was  no  harmless  fun,  no  uncon- 
strained merriment.  George  was  horribly  bored. 
They  only  talked  court  gossip  and  told  pointless 
stories  which  could  only  have  interest  for  the 
others  because  they  referred  to  the  most  aristo- 
cratic circles  ;  and  as  George  did  not  even  know 
the  names  of  most  of  the  families  mentioned, 
the  conversation  was  absolutely  uninteresting 
to  him.  Not  a  single  serious  subject  was  ever 
touched  upon ;  George  contented  himself  with 
the  part  of  listener,  and  thus  as  he|found  little 
opportunity  of  joining  in  the  conversation  he 
did  not  get  any  more  intimate  with  his  comrades. 
In  the  regiment  the  officers  had  gradually 
accepted  the  unalterable  fact  that  George  was 
to  be  one  of  them,  but  that  was  all.  If  they  no 
longer  shed  tears  because  he  was  there,  still 
they  could  not  pretend  they  were  pleased  ;  they 
were  quite  polite  to  him,  but  they  erected  these 
social  barriers  which  excluded  all  confidence 
and  intimacy.  Thus  it  came  about  that  George 
had  not  a  single  friend  in  the  regiment.  All 
maintained  a  certain  reserve  towards  him,  more 
especially  his  contemporaries,  though  George 

77 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

had  shown  himself  friendly  hi  all  his  relations 
with  them.  Curiously,  the  most  haughty  among 
them  all  was  the  one  who  attracted  him  most. 
This  was  Lieutenant  von  Willberg,  the  one  who 
had  burst  into  tears  when  he  heard  of  George's 
transference.  He  was  possessed  of  an  incredible 
pride,  but  he  had  his  saner  moments,  as  George 
called  them,  and  then  he  was  a  lovable,  happy, 
delightful  creature  ;  his  adorable  youthful  light- 
heartedness  showed  itself,  and  then  George  quite 
understood  how,  in  spite  of  everything,  in  spite 
of  the  warp  in  his  nature,  little  Willberg  was  the 
darling  and  the  pet  of  the  regiment.  George  did 
not  know  how  Willberg  had  felt  about  his  coming 
into  the  regiment,  and  he  had  often  wished  to  know 
him  better,  but  so  far  the  opportunity  had  not 
yet  offered  itself. 

One  day  when  George  came  into  barracks  he 
found  a  large  company  assembled  there.  Various 
guests  had  been  invited,  comrades  from  other 
regiments,  mostly  Cavalry  officers.  Of  course 
the  guests  sat  at  the  upper  end  of  the  table 
with  the  older  officers  of  the  "  Golden  Butter- 
flies," and  it  was  not  without  envy  that  those 
sitting  at  the  lower  end  of  the  table  regarded 
them.  Even  the  Guards-Infantry  were  impressed 
by  the  Hussars  and  Uhlans,  for  the  Cavalry 
officers  were  considered  the  most  distinguished 
body  hi  the  army.  Everybody  saw  how  de- 
lighted the  "  Golden  Butterflies "  were  to  see 

78 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

their  distinguished  guests  among  them.  They 
vied  with  each  other  in  amiability,  and  even  the 
elder  chiefs  and  some  of  the  younger  staff  officers, 
who  were  bachelors  and  daily  dined  together 
in  the  mess-room,  made  no  concealment  of  the 
pleasure  the  visit  gave  and  how  honoured  they 
felt.  When  they  all  rose  from  the  table  to  take 
their  coffee  and  cigars  in  the  smoking-room, 
the  guests  were  invited  to  take  the  large  com- 
fortable easy  chairs,  and  the  "  Golden  Butter- 
flies "  stood  around  them  hi  a  semi-circle.  Each 
tried  to  gain  the  notice  of  the  Cavalry  officers 
and  to  be  very  attentive  to  them.  To  be  invited 
to  dine  by  the  Cavalry  Guard  was  a  distinction 
for  which  all  strove ;  for  only  when  one  had 
dined  with  them  was  one  considered  quite  "  tip- 
top "  ;  the  officers  of  the  Guards  accepted  in- 
vitations from  allied  regiments,  but  they  them- 
selves were  excessively  careful  in  the  choice  of 
their  guests.  Little  Willberg^literally  flung  him- 
self at  their  heads.  He  stood  near  Baron  Gers- 
bach,  whose  people  came  from  his  own  district, 
and  played  the  part  of  the  darling  of  the  regiment, 
and  tried  to  engage  his  guests  in  an  interesting 
conversation.  Apparently  this  did  not  make 
the  least  impression  upon  the  Uhlan,  who 
stretched  out  his  legs,  and  carelessly  smoked 
one  cigar  after  the  other. 

But  little  Willberg  was  most  anxious  to  impress 
the  Uhlan  in  some  way  or  other,  if  not  as  a  pleasant 

79 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

companion  then  as  a  clever,  sharp-witted  fellow, 
and  so  he  said  to  him :  "  How  would  it  be  if 
we  had  a  game  of  cards  ?  " 

They  spoke  quite  openly  in  the  barracks  about 
card-playing.  It  is  true  it  was  forbidden,  and 
indeed  at  regular  intervals  the  most  stringent 
orders  against  playing  for  money  were  publicly 
read  out,  and  listened  to  with  that  respect  which 
is  proper  for  commands  emanating  from  such 
high  places,  but  further  than  this  no  one  troubled 
about  the  prohibition.  The  military  authorities 
knew  all  about  it,  but  they  shut  their  eyes,  and 
indeed  it  sometimes  happened  that  the  colonels 
themselves  played  with  their  own  officers.  What 
could  the  military  authorities  do  ?  In  a  little 
garrison  town  it  was  easy  enough  to  see  that 
an  order  was  carried  out,  but  in  a  large  town  it 
was  utterly  impossible.  The  officers  would  play, 
and  if  they  were  not  allowed  to  play  in  the 
barracks  or  the  mess-room,  then  they  would 
gamble  in  some  club  or  in  another  regiment  or 
in  their  own  homes.  Whoever  means  to  gamble 
will  find  an  opportunity.  Officially  of  course, 
it  was  said,  officers  are  not  allowed  to  gamble ; 
but  one  must  distinguish  between  gambling  and 
gambling.  If  a  fellow  lost  twenty  marks  it 
didn't  matter  to  anybody,  and  if  he  lost  a  hun- 
dred, what  did  it  matter  ?  And  if  a  man  has 
the  misfortune  to  lose  a  thousand  marks  surely 
he  isn't  more  liable  to  punishment  than  if  he 

80 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

had  only  staked  twenty  ?  If  the  military  authori- 
ties intended  to  punish  everybody  who  touched 
a  pack  of  cards,  then  the  number  of  officers  in 
any  one  year  would  be  reduced  by  half.  The 
lieutenants  who  played  would,  of  course,  be 
punished,  and  the  colonels  in  whose  regiments 
gambling  went  on  would  run  the  risk  of  dismissal 
because  they  had  not  seen  that  the  stringent 
regulations  concerning  gambling  were  carried 
out.  Now,  a  man  who  is  a  colonel  naturally 
wishes  to  become  a  general,  and  he  is  not  likely 
to  risk  his  military  reputation  by  giving  informa- 
tion which  he  can  suppress  if  he  likes. 

Little  Willberg  repeated  the  question  which 
the  Uhlan  at  first  thought  it  beneath  his  dignity 
to  answer.  At  last  he  looked  at  him  somewhat 
astonished :  "  You  had  better  take  care,  you 
will  lose  your  money ;  are  you  so  very  rich  that 
you  don't  mind  losing  it  ?  " 

Willberg  slapped  his  pockets  cheekily : 
"  They're  quite  full  to-day,  I've  just  had  a 
remittance." 

Willberg  could  not  account  for  it,  but  suddenly 
he  had  an  odd  feeling.  It  had  taken  a  long 
time  to  squeeze  a  thousand  marks  out  of  his 
old  father  to  pay  some  of  his  most  pressing  debts. 
He  had  therefore  the  feeling  that  it  was  not 
quite  right  to  risk  any  on  a  game  of  cards,  but 
he  would  rather  have  died  than  confessed  it 
now.  Had  he  done  so  he  would  have  for  ever 

81 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

blamed  himself  and  made  himself  supremely 
ridiculous  in  the  sight  of  those  beautiful  patent- 
leather  boots  and  silver  spurs,  which  were  the 
things  that  impressed  him  most  in  the  Uhlan. 
However,  he  determined  not  to  risk  more  than 
half  of  his  cash ;  if  he  lost  that,  then  the  affair 
was  over,  if  he  won,  then  he  would  reconsider 
matters. 

Baron  Gersbach  was  known  as  a  great  gambler, 
and  it  was  an  open  secret  that  it  was  only  through 
gambling  that  he  managed  to  keep  his  head 
above  water.  He  had  long  ago  spent  his  inheri- 
tance, and  did  not  receive  a  penny  beyond  his 
pay,  and  yet  his  pockets  were  always  full  of 
bank-notes.  Many  people  wondered  why  he 
was  allowed  to  remain  in  the  army.  It  was  said 
that  he  enjoyed  the  protection  of  those  high  in 
authority.  The  story  went  that  even  his  superior 
officers  and  men  of  the  highest  rank  had  played 
with  him.  Curiously  enough  he  was  an  excel- 
lent officer,  and  an  exceedingly  good  rider,  who 
had  often  distinguished  himself  at  the  races. 
He  might  almost  have  been  called  a  professional 
gambler,  though  he  was  known  to  gamble  per- 
fectly honourably  and  straightforwardly.  He 
did  not  gamble  every  day,  but  only  from  time 
to  time,  when  he  was  driven  to  make  a  great 
coup,  but  even  then  he  only  touched  cards  when 
an  inward  voice  told  him :  "  To-day  you  will 
win."  If  he  was  not  quite  sure  about  this,  he 

82 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

could  not  be  induced  to  join  in  a  game  of  cards  ; 
thus,  whenever  he  played  he  won,  and  people 
were  really  astonished  that  he  could  ever  find 
anyone  who  was  willing  to  lose  his  money  to 
the  baron.  But,  of  course,  each  of  them  hoped 
that  his  case  would  prove  the  exception,  and  so 
again  and  again  men  were  willing  to  risk  their 
luck.  All  those  who  had  not  already  played 
with  him  regarded  it  as  a  great  distinction  to 
be  invited  to  do  so,  and  indeed  anybody  who 
had  not  played  with  Baron  Gersbach  at  least 
once,  was  considered  not  quite  the  thing. 

They  did  not  begin  to  play  cards,  to  a  certain 
extent  from  politeness,  until  the  staff  officers 
had  left  the  room.  One  of  the  majors  indeed 
found  it  extremely  difficult  to  go,  for  he  was 
an  inveterate  gambler  and  would  gladly  have 
stayed  behind ;  everybody  was  quite  aware  of 
this.  Still  he  really  owed  something  to  his 
position ;  he  could  not  very  well  win  money 
from  his  subalterns — at  any  rate  not  in  bar- 
racks— that  wouldn't  do  at  all. 

Scarcely  had  they  left  the  room  when  all 
constraint  was  abandoned,  and  George  observed 
his  comrades  with  considerable  astonishment. 
They  had  often  played  cards  hi  his  presence, 
but  he  had  never  seen  them  like  this  before ;  it 
was  the  first  time  that  they  had  cast  on  one  side 
their  air  of  elaborate  repose  and  faultlessly 
correct  behaviour.  It  seemed  as  if  an  evil  spirit 

83 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

had  taken  possession  of  them,  a  mad  intoxica- 
tion, the  passion  for  gambling  had  seized  upon 
them  all,  they  were  nervous  and  excited.  They 
were  all  asking  themselves  whether  they  were 
going  to  win  or  lose,  one  saw  it  by  the  excite- 
ment in  their  eyes,  their  pale  faces,  the  nervous 
twitching  of  their  hands. 

Only  one  man  was  absolutely  calm,  and  that 
was  the  Uhlan.  With  his  legs  wide  apart,  he 
sat  leaning  back  on  the  sofa,  and  did  not  trouble 
himself  in  the  least  degree  about  the  prepara- 
tions for  the  game.  Whether  he  was  inwardly 
as  calm  as  he  looked,  who  could  say  ?  Out- 
wardly, at  any  rate,  he  did  not  betray  the  faintest 
excitement. 

At  last  the  card-table  was  all  ready,  and  the 
adjutant  of  the  regiment,  Count  Wettborn, 
turned  to  Baron  Gersbach  and  said :  "  Well, 
what  do  you  say,  shall  we  have  a  game  of  cards  ?  " 

Much  depended  on  the  Uhlan's  reply,  for  if 
he  had  said  "No,"  the  whole  thing  would  have 
been  quite  different ;  they  would  just  have  had 
a  harmless,  pleasant  little  game.  But  to-day  the 
Uhlan  was  in  the  right  mood  for  playing — to- 
day on  getting  up  he  had  felt  cheerful  and  happy, 
and  an  inward  voice  had  told  him :  "  To-day 
you  can  again  risk  a  large  sum  of  money."  In 
spite  of  this,  however,  the  cautious  creature  had 
said  to  himself :  "If  my  Leda  gets  over  the 
hurdles  to-day  without  breaking  her  neck,  I  will 

84 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

risk  it,"  and  his  Leda  had  jumped  over  them 
three  times  like  a  darling.  He  had  looked  into 
his  carefully-kept  diary  to  see  which  regiments 
he  had  not  visited  for  a  long  time ;  his  choice 
fell  on  the  "  Golden  Butterflies,"  and  he  was 
glad,  for  they  would  pay  a  couple  of  thousands 
for  the  honour  of  his  visit  without  murmuring 
and  grumbling.  So  he  telephoned  to  the  adju- 
tant to  ask  if  he  might  dine  with  them  and  bring 
a  couple  of  his  good  friends  with  him.  Count 
Wettborn  was  not  a  particularly  intelligent 
person,  but  he  quite  understood  the  meaning 
of  the  message,  and  as  he  himself  was  a  keen 
gambler,  he  was  only  too  delighted  to  say  yes. 

With  inimitable  nonchalance  the  Uhlan  got 
up  from  the  sofa  and  sank  down  into  a  chair 
which  his  attentive  friends  placed  for  him. 
Then  he  dived  into  his  pockets  and  brought  out 
his  pocket-book,  and  the  others  noticed  with  a 
certain  amount  of  misgiving  the  roll  of  bank- 
notes that  bulged  out.  They  remembered  the 
true  principle  of  all  gambling ;  you  can  only 
win  at  cards  if  you  have  a  large  amount  of  capital, 
and  can  hold  out  when  the  luck  is  against  you. 
The  Uhlan  had  the  necessary  capital,  and  who 
therefore  could  hope  to  win  against  him  ?  Then 
the  adjutant,  Count  Wettborn,  put  his  pocket- 
book  on  the  table,  and  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  " 
were  extremely  proud  when  they  saw  his  purse ; 
it  was  a  little  heirloom  which  he  always 

85 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

carried  about  with  him,  for  the  count  belonged 
to  a  very  rich  family,  besides  which,  he  was 
heir  to  an  uncle  who  often  gave  him  large  sums 
of  money. 

"  Really,  our  adjutant's  a  fine  fellow,"  whis- 
pered one  "  Golden  Butterfly "  to  another. 
"  We  really  have  a  right  to  be  proud  of  him  : 
from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  soles  of  his 
feet  he's  tip-top.  I  believe  even  the  Cavalry 
officers  envy  us  him." 

The  other  players  dipped  into  their  pockets ; 
some  who  carried  their  money  in  bank-notes  in 
pocket-books,  more  or  less  ostentatiously,  whilst 
others  who  kept  their  possessions  in  a  purse, 
furtively  drew  out  a  few  gold  coins — at  the 
game  of  "  Sieben  "  the  stake  began  at  twenty 
marks. 

Little  Willberg  took  out  his  £50  bank-note. 
Although  he  was  heavily  in  debt  he  felt  very 
proud  of  his  possessions ;  and  as  he  walked 
through  the  streets  of  the  city  he  had  held  him- 
self erect  and  lofty,  thinking  that  everyone 
must  see  that  he  had  a  £50  bank-note  with  him. 
He  had  felt  very  rich  then,  but  now  in  comparison 
with  the  sums  that  glittered  forth  from  the 
others'  purses,  he  seemed  miserably  poor ;  he 
was  ashamed  of  his  limited  means,  and  was  filled 
with  envy  and  ill-will.  It  was  a  miserable  and 
deplorable  state  of  affairs  always  to  be  obliged 
to  bother  about  money,  and  to  have  to  say  to 

86 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

oneself :  "  You  mustn't  do  this  and  that,"  and 
to  be  perpetually  forced  to  borrow.  It  would 
be  glorious,  even  if  only  for  once,  to  possess  a 
purse  full  of  money ;  above  all,  to  be  able  to 
carry  about  bank-notes — that  would  be  really 
too  exquisite  for  anything.  If  one  were  stationed 
in  an  out-of-the-way  little  garrison,  of  course  it 
wouldn't  matter  whether  one  had  much  or  little 
money ;  but  in  Berlin,  where  one  mixed  with  so 
many  distinguished  rich  people,  like  those  who 
were  their  guests  to-day,  then  it  was  indeed  a 
miserable  thing  to  possess  nothing  but  one 
wretched  £50  note ! 

The  game  had  gone  on  for  a  long  time — the 
Uhlan  kept  the  bank.  "  Well,  Willberg,  won't 
you  stake  something  ?  you  were  so  impatient 
to  play  a  little  while  ago." 

Willberg  roused  himself ;  he  had  been  deep 
in  thought ;  the  gold  that  was  clinking  on  all 
sides  glimmered  before  him,  he  had  only  one 
wish,  one  thought  to  possess  it  all. 

"  Yes,  yes,  of  course  I  will  play.  A  hundred 
marks  on  the  seven — no,  two  hundred."  A 
second  later  and  he  had  lost  the  money. 

"  Two  hundred  again."    He  lost  that. 

"  Two  hundred  again."  This  time  he  had 
good  luck,  and  fourteen  hundred  marks  were 
counted  out  to  him.  Again  the  seven  came  to 
him,  he  had  staked  four  hundred  upon  it,  and 
so  he  won  back  nearly  three  thousand  marks. 

87 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

Little  Willberg  was  astonished ;  he  felt  as  if 
he  had  done  a  wonderful  thing.  Even  the 
Uhlan  cast  upon  him  a  glance  of  recognition, 
and  when  he  had  paid  him  his  winnings,  gave 
him  a  hearty  "  bravo."  This  praise  made  Will- 
berg  so  proud  that  he  immediately  staked  four 
hundred  marks  upon  the  seven,  and  lost  it. 

George  had  looked  on  at  the  game  for  a  con- 
siderable time  without  taking  any  share  in  it, 
now  he  began  to  tire  of  it,  and  thought  he  would 
quietly  retire.  He  went  through  the  reading- 
room,  when  someone  suddenly  called  him  by 
name,  and  when  he  turned  round  he  saw  the 
first  lieutenant,  von  Kirchberg,  in  an  easy  chair. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  "   he  asked  him. 

George  felt  he  was  caught,  for  it  was  not  con- 
sidered the  correct  thing  to  go  off  in  this  fashion, 
but  he  said  nevertheless,  "  I  meant  to  go  home." 

The  other  looked  up  astonished.  "  Have  you 
come  to  the  end  of  your  tether  ?  Have  you  lost 
all  your  money,  then  ?  " 

"  I  never  play,  sir." 

"  What !  "  the  other  almost  dropped  his  eye- 
glass in  his  astonishment,  and  looked  at  George 
for  a  long  time  speechless.  "  What !  "  he  said 
once  more,  then  he  continued :  "  Come  here 
and  sit  by  me — you  must  tell  me — how  you 
manage  to  get  along  without  playing  cards, 
or  rather  how  can  you  resist  the  temptation  !  " 

"  That's  not  a  difficulty  for  me,  sir,  gambling 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

has  absolutely  no  attraction  for  me.  A  couple 
of  years  ago  I  was  at  Monte  Carlo,  and  watched 
the  gambling  for  hours  together,  but  I  never 
had  the  slightest  desire  to  stake  a  penny." 

"  What,  really !  "  Again  the  other  looked 
at  him  as  if  such  ideas  were  beyond  his  compre- 
hension. "  Really,  I  can't  understand  it.  What 
then  do  you  do  with  your  money  if  you  don't 
play  cards  ?  " 

"  What  I  don't  spend  during  the  month  I 
put  into  the  bank." 

"  Well,  but  what's  the  use  of  that — I  mean 
what's  the  fun  of  it  ?  Why  don't  you  spend  all 
your  money  ?  You're  not  a  tradesman  but  a 
young  lieutenant.  Well,  all  I  know  is,  that  if  I 
had  your  money  I  shouldn't  put  any  in  the  bank." 

"  I  say,  Kirchberg,  wherever  have  you  hidden 
yourself  ?  "  said  a  comrade  who  just  then  came 
into  the  room.  "  We  are  still  playing  Half- 
part :  the  first  lot  of  capital  has  gone  to  the 
devil.  Have  you  got  any  money  about  you  ?  " 

"  Is  the  Uhlan  still  winning  ?  " 

The  other  scratched  his  ears.     ''  Yes,  horribly." 

Kirchberg  lit  another  cigar.  "  Then  we  will 
first  let  him  get  to  the  end  of  his  tether.  Let 
him  first  win  other  people's  ducats,  and  then 
we'll  try  to  win  them  back  again.  Who  is  at 
the  present  moment  in  his  toils  ?  " 

"  Little  Willberg.  The  fellow's  had  extra- 
ordinary luck  to-day ;  he  stakes  each  time  on 

89 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

seven,  which  has  been  thrown  down  five  times 
hi  succession.  He's  just  revelling  in  gold,  and 
the  Uhlan  naturally  wants  to  win  back  the 
money." 

"  Is  Willberg  calm  ?  " 

"  How  could  he  possibly  be  ?  He's  trembling 
with  excitement  in  all  his  limbs." 

"  What  a  pity !  for  then  all's  up  with  him. 
However,  I  want  to  see  the  thing." 

He  got  up  and  went  back  into  the  card-room, 
and  almost  involuntarily  George  followed  him. 
He  felt  as  if  he  wanted  to  help  Willberg,  to 
whisper  in  his  ear,  "  Be  prudent ;  stop  in  time  ; 
put  your  winnings  in  your  pocket ;  you  have 
plenty  for  the  present." 

But  Willberg  had  not  the  least  intention  of 
stopping.  For  a  start  the  luck  had  been  against 
him,  but  now  he  won  time  after  time.  The  other 
officers  had  long  ceased  to  play  and  were  watch- 
ing these  two.  Willberg  was  excited  and  nervous, 
feverish  and  trembling.  The  Uhlan,  on  the 
contrary,  was  absolutely  calm,  immovable  as 
brass ;  not  an  eye-lash  quivered,  and  his  hand 
did  not  tremble  in  the  slightest  degree  when  he 
pushed  over  the  winnings  to  his  antagonist. 
He  had  to  count  out  huge  sums  of  money.  The 
amount  that  he  had  won  as  banker  had  long 
vanished ;  the  bank-notes  which  he  had  brought 
from  home  had  dwindled  down  to  a  tiny  heap. 
Gold  and  paper  money  was  heaped  up  in  front 

90 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

of  Willberg,  probably  to  the  amount  of  about 
twenty  thousand  marks. 

The  Uhlan  counted  out  his  money.  "  I  can 
stake  for  the  last  time  a  thousand  marks  on  the 
seven.  If  I  lose  and  have  to  pay  out  seven 
thousand  marks,  I  shall  break  the  bank." 

An  indescribable  excitement  took  possession 
of  them  all.  Never  before  had  they  seen  the 
Uhlan  lose  so  much,  and  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  " 
were  filled  with  pride  that  one  of  their  officers 
should  have  caused  this  extraordinary  state  of 
things. 

The  last  stake !  The  seven  had  so  often 
brought  Willberg  good  luck,  surely  it  would 
stay  with  him  to  the  end. 

"  A  thousand  marks  on  the  seven." 

The  banker  shuffled  the  cards.  "  Eight !  " 
and  he  shovelled  in  the  money. 

"  A  thousand  on  the  seven  again." 

The  cards  showed  the  six !  For  one  moment 
the  Uhlan's  eyes  glittered.  Now  he  knew  he  had 
won  the  game.  It  could  not  last  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  for  he  had  won  back  all  he 
had  lost.  It  really  would  have  been  inconceivable 
that  he  could  have  lost  to-day,  especially  to  a 
mere  child  like  this,  who  gambled  so  imprudently 
and  thoughtlessly  that  he  must  lose  everything 
he  had  won.  And  Willberg  went  on  losing;  the 
heap  of  money  shrunk  more  and  more.  Several 
times  some  of  his  comrades  were  on  the  point  of 

91 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

saying,  "  Stop ;  save  at  least  a  couple  of  thousand 
marks."  But  that  wouldn't  do  ;  it  wouldn't  be 
fair.  As  earlier  they  had  allowed  the  Uhlan, 
who  was  their  guest,  to  get  to  the  point  of  losing 
everything,  they  could  not  now  warn  Willberg. 

"  Now,  Herr  Willberg,  have  you  the  courage 
to  go  on  ?  " 

He  sat  there,  white  as  a  corpse  ;  every  drop  of 
blood  had  vanished  from  his  face.  He  had  lost 
all ;  his  £50  note  of  which  he  had  been  so  proud ; 
not  the  smallest  gold  coin  did  he  possess. 

"  Will  you  go  on  playing  ?  "  the  Uhlan  asked 
for  the  second  time. 

Willberg  looked  round.  Perhaps  one  of  his 
companions  would  lend  him  some  money.  But 
the  adjutant  stepped  in :  "  No,  that's  enough 
for  you  to-day.  Some  of  us  others  will  now 
try  our  luck." 

They  went  on  playing,  but  Willberg  went  into 
an  ante-room  and  sank  down  on  a  sofa.  Suddenly 
he  was  overcome  by  a  nervous  reaction ;  he  buried 
his  face  in  his  hands  and  burst  into  convulsive 
sobs. 

George  was  standing  not  far  from  him,  and 
looked  at  him  sorrowfully  and  sympathetically. 
He  could  not  in  the  least  understand — he  had 
not  the  faintest  comprehension  of  how  a  man  could 
become  so  infatuated  with  a  game  of  cards  ;  but 
in  spite  of  this  he  was  sorry  for  the  poor  fellow 
whose  pecuniary  difficulties  were  no  secret.  For 

92 


A  GAME  OF  CARDS 

one  brief  moment  he  had  been  rich  ;  now  he  was 
poorer  than  ever,  because  he  had  experienced  the 
feeling  of  possessing  money,  if  only  for  the  time 
being.  It  was  on  the  tip  of  his  tongue  to  go  up 
to  his  comrade  and  offer  him  help ;  but  he  had 
not  the  courage  to  put  himself  forward  in  this 
way ;  he  did  not  wish  to  risk  a  snub.  And  he 
was  quite  sure  he  had  acted  wisely  when  Willberg, 
having  recovered  his  self-possession,  got  up  to 
go  home  and  went  out  as  if  he  had  not  been  aware 
of  George's  presence.  Was  he  ashamed  of  his 
reckless  gambling  or  his  tears  ?  He  went  off 
without  bidding  George  adieu. 

The  latter  was  therefore  greatly  astonished 
when  next  morning  Willberg  visited  him  in  his 
rooms.  From  the  first  moment  he  guessed  the 
object  of  this  visit,  and  his  guess  became  a 
certainty  when  he  saw  his  visitor's  pale  face. 
After  a  few  casual  words  of  greeting  the  latter 
came  to  the  point. 

"  Last  night  you  were  with  us,  though  only  as 
a  spectator,  so  you  know  that  I  lost  all  my  win- 
nings, but  I  also  lost  another  thousand  which  I 
had  just  received,  in  order  to  pay  some  pressing 
accounts.  I  have  tried  to  borrow  the  money 
from  one  of  my  friends,  but  the  Uhlan  has  cleaned 
them  all  out  in  the  same  way,  so  that  not  one  of 
them  to-day  has  as  much  as  a  thousand  that  he 
can  call  his  own.  Even  our  chief  is  going  about 
with  empty  pockets.  So  I  have  come  to  you  to 

93 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

ask  if  you  can  lend  me  this.  I  must  tell  you, 
quite  openly  and  straightforwardly,  that  I  cannot 
name  the  exact  day  when  I  can  return  you  the 
money,  but  I  will  do  so  as  soon  as  ever  I  can,  I 
give  you  my  word." 

"  But,  please,  I  really  do  not  require  that." 

George  had  risen,  and  went  to  his  desk  to  get  a 
note,  which  he  handed  to  his  companion. 

The  latter  shook  George's  hand  gratefully. 
"  You  have  done  me  a  great  service."  And  after 
a  slight  pause,  he  continued,  with  unmistakable 
embarrassment,  "  I  have  just  one  more  request : 
I  may  rely  on  your  not  telling  anyone  that  I  have 
borrowed  from  you  ?  " 

"  How  could  I  do  such  a  thing  ?  "  asked 
George,  astonished. 

But  the  other  did  not  appear  perfectly  satisfied 
with  this  answer.  "  Don't  take  it  amiss,  but  I 
beg  you  to  give  me  your  word  that  you  will  not 
tell  anyone  of  my  visit  to  you  ?  " 

George  looked  at  him  with  intense  astonish- 
ment. How  could  Willberg  ask  such  a  thing  ? 
However  he  said :  "  If  it  is  any  satisfaction  to 
you,  I  will  certainly  give  you  my  word,  though 
I  cannot  see  any  reason  for  it." 

Willberg  breathed  more  freely  and  took  leave, 
after  thanking  George  most  warmly. 


94 


CHAPTER  V 

HlLDEGARDE  AND   GEORGE 

SEVERAL  weeks  passed  and  George  was  still 
"  sent  to  Coventry  by  the  regiment,"  as  he  called 
it.  He  still  had  not  a  single  friend  with  whom 
he  had  any  close  relations.  His  hope  that  Will- 
berg,  whom  he  had  helped  out  of  his  difficulty, 
would  get  on  more  friendly  terms  with  him, 
was  not  fulfilled.  On  the  contrary,  the  latter 
had  less  to  do  with  him  than  usual,  although  he 
had  not  yet  paid  his  debt.  George  did  not 
trouble  about  this.  He  had  already  had  many 
disagreeable  experiences  in  these  matters  in  his 
old  regiment ;  but  as  he  himself  had  grown  up 
in  quite  different  circumstances,  he  did  not  really 
grasp  the  attitude  of  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  " 
with  regard  to  money.  They  had  no  hesitation, 
even  in  the  presence  of  the  orderlies,  in  borrowing 
from  each  other.  Very  often,  indeed,  they  made 
no  scruples  about  saying  to  their  servants : 
"  Spend  this  or  that  amount  on  my  behalf,"  but 
the  money  was  not  always  returned  to  the  orderly 
the  same  day.  They  got  credit  wherever  they 

95 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

could,  and  borrowed  from  all  possible  sources. 
In  the  chief  restaurant,  where  they  often  passed 
the  evenings  rather  than  stay  at  home  in  bar- 
racks, many  of  the  officers  owed  the  waiter  fifty 
or  sixty  marks  actually  in  cash,  besides  what  they 
owed  for  food  and  drinks.  And  it  was  just  those 
who  owed  the  waiter  most,  who  lived  most 
extravagantly,  ate  the  dearest  food  and  drank 
the  most  expensive  wine,  and  when  they  went 
off  it  was  always,  "  Muller,  put  down  twenty 
marks  to  my  account,  you  know  you'll  get  it 
all  right."  But  the  question  was,  when  ?  Some 
of  the  officers  had  owed  this  money  for  months, 
and  they  never  thought  of  paying  back ;  so 
long  as  they  wore  a  uniform,  surely  the  money 
was  safe  enough.  George  noticed  with  astonish- 
ment that  the  officers  in  Berlin  were  just  as  lax 
in  these  matters  as  they  had  been  in  his  former 
regiment.  Once  in  the  little  garrison  town,  in 
a  restaurant  much  frequented  by  the  military, 
there  was  a  row  with  the  landlord ;  the  officers 
boycotted  the  place  and  swore  that  the  fellow 
shouldn't  get  another  penny  from  them.  But 
not  a  single  one  of  them  thought  of  paying  his 
debts,  part  of  which  were  due  to  the  landlord, 
part  to  the  waiter.  It  was  only  when  the  land- 
lord complained  to  the  colonel  that  he  obtained 
redress,  but  even  then  it  was  in  a  curious  manner. 
The  colonel  did  not  order  his  officers  to  pay  their 
debts  within  twenty-four  hours,  but  he  gave 

96 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

them  six  weeks  in  which  to  discharge  their 
liabilities.  And  so  the  landlord  and  the  waiter, 
who  really  needed  their  money,  had  to  wait 
patiently  all  that  time. 

George  remembered  another  incident  that 
had  taken  place  only  a  few  weeks  ago.  One 
morning  a  senior  lieutenant  had  appeared  at 
lunch  much  excited,  and  said  that  the  hairdresser 
to  whom  they  all  went  had  written  and  dunned 
him  on  account  of  a  miserable  debt  of  a  few 
pounds,  and  had  threatened  him  with  a  summons 
through  the  post,  as  he  was  in  great  difficulties 
and  wanted  his  money  at  once.  The  officer 
openly  admitted  that  he  had  had  the  hairdresser's 
bill  several  times,  but  had  never  paid  him  a 
penny.  But,  in  spite  of  this,  there  was  a  storm 
of  indignation  at  the  hairdresser's  daring  to 
write  to  him.  Why  should  the  fellow  want  his 
money  in  such  a  hurry  ?  Couldn't  he  wait  ? 
The  few  pounds  were  quite  safe,  and  nobody 
ever  sends  a  man  of  position  a  summons  through 
the  post.  The  end  of  the  story  was  that  the 
"  Golden  Butterflies  "  were  forbidden  to  patronise 
the  hairdresser's  shop,  but,  in  spite  of  this,  the 
officers  who  owed  money  there  did  not  discharge 
their  debt. 

Certainly  in  all  matters  connected  with  money 
they  had  few  scruples  and  lax  views.  Debts 
were  only  considered  as  such  when  they  con- 
sisted of  actual  money ;  they  never  reckoned 

97 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

in  what  was  owing  to  a  tradesman.  The  fellow 
was  there,  of  course,  to  give  credit ;  he  had  to 
wait  two  or  three  years,  sometimes  much  longer, 
before  getting  his  money.  He  ought  to  be  de- 
lighted if  the  officers  came  into  his  shop,  and 
ought  to  be  willing  to  pay  something  for  the 
honour  of  having  such  customers,  and  getting 
a  good  advertisement.  They  got  credit  every- 
where, and  once  it  happened  that  a  lieutenant 
owed  his  own  servant  twenty  marks.  The 
incident  was  revealed  when  the  recruits  were 
dismissed.  The  colonel  when  discharging  the 
recruits  said :  "  Has  any  one  of  you  any  claims 
on  the  regiment  ?  if  so,  let  him  make  it  now." 
Then  a  young  recruit  stepped  forward  and  said 
in  a  loud  voice  :  "I  am  still  owed  twenty  marks 
by  my  former  lieutenant,  which  he  borrowed 
from  me  a  few  months  ago  when  I  had  some 
money  from  home."  The  matter  was  investi- 
gated, and  found  to  be  quite  correct ;  the  fellow 
was  paid  his  money  and  the  lieutenant  received 
a  severe  rebuke.  But  everyone  thought  it  was 
an  unheard-of  thing  for  a  discharged  soldier  to 
bring  a  complaint  against  his  former  lieutenant. 
Nobody,  however,  asked  if  the  man  were  in  a 
position  to  bear  the  loss  of  twenty  marks. 

George  remained  completely  isolated  among 
his  companions.  Nobody  troubled  in  the  least 
about  him.  His  astonishment  therefore  was  all 
the  greater  when  one  day  after  lunch  his  adjutant 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

sat  down  beside  him,  and  engaged  him  in  a  leng 
and  very  friendly  conversation.  He  could  not 
quite  account  for  this  mark  of  distinction,  but 
he  quickly  understood  when  Count  Wettborn 
suddenly  said  to  him :  "I  have  for  a  long  time 
meant  to  ask  you  why  your  father  does  not  try 
to  get  a  title.  The  thing  is  certainly  not  easy, 
but  your  father  is  well  thought  of  by  His  Majesty, 
and  it  would  be  easy  to  overcome  the  difficulty 
if  your  father  would  be  disposed  to  give  a  couple 
of  hundred  thousand  marks  for  some  charitable 
object.  Your  father  could  certainly  do  that — 
why  doesn't  he  ?  " 

"  Because  my  father  is  proud  of  his  own  name, 
which  he  has  made  an  honourable  one." 

The  count  rubbed  his  feet  with  some  embar- 
rassment, then  he  said  :  "  Of  course,  your  father 
is  quite  right  as  far  as  he  himself  is  concerned, 
but  he  ought  to  think  of  you.  You  would  take 
quite  a  different  position  in  Society  if  you  were 
a  baron  or  a  count.  The  world  lays  great  stress 
on  this,  and  in  my  opinion  it  is  quite  right.  For 
you,  especially,  now  that  you  belong  to  a  dis- 
tinguished regiment,  a  title  would  be  of  the 
greatest  value." 

The  count  talked  to  George  for  a  long  time, 
and  the  latter  saw  clearly  that  the  adjutant  in 
saying  all  he  did  was  not  following  a  sudden 
impulse,  but  was  acting  on  mature  reflection, 
and  had  evidently  consulted  the  wish  of  the 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

colonel  or  one  or  other  of  the  military  authorities. 
George  felt  the  blood  mount  to  his  cheeks.  He 
felt  ashamed  that  his  companion  had  the  audacity 
to  talk  to  him  in  this  way.  Good  heavens ! 
was  a  title  then,  which  could  be  bought  for  a  few 
hundred  thousands,  really  of  much  more  import- 
ance to  these  aristocratic  lieutenants,  who  were 
ciphers  when  they  got  out  of  their  uniforms, 
than  a  good,  old,  simple  middle-class  name 
which  was  honoured  and  respected  by  the  whole 
commercial  world  ? 

He  could  not  help  saying  in  reply  to  the 
adjutant :  "  My  father  has  often  enough  been 
offered  a  peerage,  but  every  time  he  has  refused 
it." 

"  I  cannot  understand  such  a  thing."  The 
count  stuck  his  eyeglass  in  more  firmly  and  looked 
at  George  with  speechless  astonishment.  "  I 
really  cannot  understand  it,"  he  repeated,  and 
George  saw  that  he  spoke  in  bitter  earnest.  He 
really  could  not  understand  how  a  man  could 
refuse  a  title,  simply  because  he  was  proud  of  his 
own  plain  name. 

For  a  long  while  the  adjutant  sat  silent,  then 
he  finished  the  conversation  with  the  remark : 
"  Well,  perhaps  you  will  write  to  your  father 
again  about  this  matter,  or,  better  still,  perhaps 
you  will  talk  to  him.  You  may  be  able  to  change 
his  mind." 

George  did  not  answer,  but  he  knew  how  ftis 

199 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

father  always  laughed  at  the  people  who  directly 
they  had  made  money  had  no  other  ambition 
in  life  but  to  get  a  title.  He  felt  that  the  words 
which  the  adjutant  had  just  addressed  to  him 
were  almost  an  insult,  and  yet  when  he  considered 
them  quietly,  he  could  not  altogether  take  um- 
brage at  them.  He  saw  every  day  of  his  life 
how  the  aristocracy  had  the  preference  in  every- 
thing ;  how  even  in  these  enlightened  days  a 
title  possessed  many  advantages,  and  that  it  was 
given  to  men  of  wealth  as  a  distinction  and  an 
honour.  And  even  in  the  army  was  not  a  title 
of  advantage  to  a  man  ?  If  three  officers,  one 
of  whom  had  a  title,  went  in  for  a  post,  was  not 
the  aristocrat  always  chosen,  and  if  by  the  rarest 
chance  a  middle-class  man  was  ever  successful 
in  such  a  case,  was  he  not  at  once  ennobled  ? 
The  position  of  an  officer  is  only  suited  for  a 
man  with  a  title.  The  old  adage  was  very  suit- 
able for  present  days — the  plebeian  in  the  army 
who  did  not  distinguish  himself  in  some  extremely 
remarkable  manner  would  never  get  promotion 
as  soon  as  the  most  ordinary  commonplace  titled 
officer. 

And  was  it  any  different  in  Society  ?  George 
had  now  been  to  quite  enough  social  entertain- 
ments to  know  how  everyone  bowed  down  to  a 
title ;  how  even  the  youngest  aristocratic  lieu- 
tenant was  considered  superior  to  a  staff-officer 
of  plebeian  birth.  And  how  often  had  he  not 

101 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

noticed  how  people  hummed  and  hawed  at  the 
sight  of  him,  and  could  not  understand  how  it 
was  he  belonged  to  such  a  distinguished  regiment. 
Although  the  words  had  been  softly  spoken  he 
had  once  heard  a  young  girl  at  a  ball  whisper 
to  a  friend :  "If  Lieutenant  Winkler  asks  me  to 
dance,  I  shall  say  my  programme  is  full ;  I  shall 
certainly  not  dance  with  a  middle-class  officer." 
All  the  women  regarded  him  as  an  outsider. 
A  bare  nod  was  their  only  greeting,  even  the 
one  or  two  who  shook  hands  with  him  did  this 
without  breaking  off  their  conversation,  and 
with  an  expression  which  showed  they  thought 
they  were  doing  him  a  great  favour.  But  he  was 
just  as  much  isolated  in  the  army  as  in  Society  ; 
his  comrades  chattered  and  laughed  with  the 
ladies,  had  all  kinds  of  little  intrigues  with  them, 
made  engagements  with  them,  while  he  wandered 
about  alone  and  bored.  He  was  an  "  outsider," 
and  nobody  troubled  to  introduce  him. 

Vine  only  person  who  was  always  pleasant 
to  him  was  Hildegarde.  They  had  often  come 
across  one  another,  and  a  sincere  friendship  had 
sprung  up  between  them.  The  two  "  outcasts  " 
Hildegarde  called  himself  and  her  to  her  relatives. 
George  was  never  introduced,  and  she  herself 
occupied  a  curious  position  in  Society.  She 
was  no  longer  quite  a  young  girl,  and  interest 
in  her  charms  had  vanished.  People  invited 
her  out,  it  is  true,  but  that  was  largely  because 

102 


ftlLDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

they  could  not  do  anything  else,  but  privately 
they  always  hoped  she  would  not  accept  the 
invitation.  When  she  did  go  to  parties,  con- 
temptuous remarks  were  made  behind  her  back. 
Hildegarde  acted  as  if  she  were  quite  unconscious 
of  them,  but  she  understood  the  glances  that  were 
directed  towards  her,  and  even  when  she  did  not 
actually  hear  the  words,  she  knew  very  well  how 
the  people  shook  their  heads  over  her  and  whis- 
pered to  each  other.  It  was  a  great  effort  of  self- 
control  to  go  to  these  entertainments,  and  after 
every  party  she  said  to  herself  :  "  To-day  is  the 
very  last  time  I  will  go ;  to-morrow  I  shall  go 
home." 

But  the  terrible  anxiety  which  always  reigned 
in  her  home  kept  her  at  her  aunt's.  "  I  would 
rather  endure  these  secret  remarks  than  see 
the  poverty  and  misery  at  home,  and  bear  their 
reproaches."  At  intervals  she  confessed  to  her- 
self that  she  stayed  on  George's  account ;  not 
that  she  could  say  she  was  exactly  in  love  with 
him.  The  question  of  marriage  had  been  so 
much  and  so  often  talked  about,  that  love  seemed 
a  ridiculous  thing,  and  it  all  depended  on  whether 
the  man  had  money  or  not.  The  holiest  of  feel- 
ings had  been  so  unreservedly  discussed  in  her 
presence  that  she  believed  that  her  heart  was 
no  longer  accessible  to  love.  In  George  she 
saw  a  reliable  friend.  He  was  always  very  atten- 
tive to  her ;  as  soon  as  he  saw  her  by  herself 

103 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

he  came  to  her  side,  and  she  felt  his  glance  con- 
tinually on  her.  His  glance  seemed  to  say : 
"I  do  not  know,  of  course,  what  anxiety  is 
troubling  you,  but  I  know  that  you  are  feeling 
sad  and  lonely  here,  just  as  I  am,  and  I  want, 
therefore,  to  do  what  I  can  for  you." 

This  evening  she  was  to  meet  him  again.  There 
was  a  great  reception  at  the  American  ambassa- 
dor's, and  she  was  delighted  at  the  prospect 
of  seeing  him.  She  had  dressed  herself  specially 
well  for  his  benefit,  and  had  put  on  a  new  costume 
which  her  aunt  had  just  given  her.  In  pleasant 
anticipation  of  the  entertainment  she  had  begun 
to  dress  sooner  than  usual,  and  now  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  before  it  was  time  to  go  she  was  stand- 
ing in  front  of  the  looking-glass  and  regarding 
herself  smilingly.  She  was  pleased  with  her 
own  beauty,  and  knew  that  to-day,  at  any  rate, 
she  would  once  again  arouse  admiration. 

She  was  standing  deep  in  thought  when  a  knock 
at  the  door  aroused  her.  "Is  it  time  yet  ?  I 
am  quite  ready.  I'll  come  at  once." 

"  Madam  has  plenty  of  time.  The  carriage 
is  not  yet  at  the  door,  but  there  is  an  express 
message  for  you." 

Hildegarde  was  alarmed.  An  express  letter 
for  her  !  Whatever  could  have  happened  ? 

She  opened  the  door  and  took  the  letter  from 
the  girl,  and  she  shuddered  involuntarily  when 
she  recognised  her  brother's  handwriting. 

104 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  She  threw  the  letter  on  the 
table  with  annoyance.  Without  opening  she 
knew  perfectly  well  that  it  contained  a  request 
for  money.  A  feeling  of  repugnance  came  over 
her.  "  Why  should  he  spoil  my  pleasure  just 
at  this  moment  ?  How  can  I  possibly  ask  my 
aunt  for  anything  when  she  has  just  given  me 
this  costly  dress  ?  "  All  her  pleasure  had  vanished. 
"  Well,"  she  said  to  herself  at  last,  "  the  letter 
shall  not  spoil  my  temper  to-day.  I  shall  read 
it  to-morrow,  or  this  evening,  when  I  get  back 
again." 

An  inward  feeling  of  anxiety,  however,  caused 
her  to  tear  open  the  envelope,  and  she  read  : 

"  DEAR  LITTLE  HILDEGARDE, — You  know  the 
old  story  how  the  watchman  summoned  a  woman 
out  of  bed  and  called  out  to  her  :  '  Mrs.  Meyer, 
you  are  going  to  have  a  terrible  shock ;  your 
husband  is  dead.'  Well,  I  say  to  you  now,  dear 
Hildegarde,  don't  be  frightened,  but  I  must  have 
four  thousand  marks.  The  deuce  take  it,  but 
I  haven't  had  a  bit  of  luck  lately.  Yesterday 
morning  I  had  a  whole  heap  of  dunning  letters. 
I  didn't  know  myself  where  all  the  people  came 
from  who  suddenly  demanded  money.  Where  on 
earth  am  I  to  get  it  from  without  stealing  it  ? 
So  I  tried  my  luck  at  cards,  but  the  luck  was 
against  me,  and  when  I  woke  up  this  morning 
with  a  splitting  headache  I  found  I  had  lost  four 

105 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

thousand  marks.  Thank  heaven  I  have  three 
days'  respite,  but  then  I  must  settle  the  affair, 
or  nothing  else  remains  but  to  put  the  necessary 
bullet  through  my  head.  You  know  that  other 
debts  don't  worry  me,  but  gambling  debts  are 
debts  of  honour,  and  there  must  be  no  fleck  on 
our  honour.  Rather  than  this,  we  must  make 
our  exit  from  this  world.  Better  die  than  be 
dishonoured.  So,  dear  Hilda,  I  must  have  four 
brown  bits  of  paper,  and  you  must  manage  to 
get  them  for  me.  I  ask  you  this  with  much  less 
reluctance  than  usual,  because  I  hear  with  the 
greatest  joy  that  you  are  just  about  to  be  engaged. 
Well,  it's  high  time,  Hilda,  both  for  you  and  for 
us.  Don't  disappoint  us  again.  You  have  gone 
off  considerably  during  the  last  year  or  so.  When 
I  saw  you  last  I  had  quite  a  shock.  Don't 
misunderstand  me.  You  are  still,  of  course,  a 
very  pretty  girl,  but  nothing  compared  with 
what  you  were.  Well,  the  main  thing  now  is 
for  you  to  capture  this  Winkler  or  whatever 
he's  called.  WTiat  sort  of  a  man  is  he  ?  Aunt 
writes  to  mother  that  he  pays  you  the  very 
greatest  attention.  You  can  imagine  how  be- 
side themselves  with  joy  they  are  at  home. 
Father  wrote  to  me  that  in  honour  of  the  welcome 
news  he  had  immediately  completed  his  wine 
cellar,  and  like  a  chivalrous  gentleman  he  drank 
your  health  in  French  champagne.  He  can't 
stand  that  German  stuff  any  longer.  Father 

106 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

suffers  frightfully  from  indigestion,  you  know. 
Aunt  tells  us  also  that  your  future  father-in-law 
manufactures  buttons.  It's  a  frightful  idea, 
but  is  it  really  true  ?  However,  the  main  thing 
is  that  he  manufactures  enough  of  them  !  Keep 
him  tight !  You  have  fine  eyes,  use  them  well 
and  you'll  secure  him.  And  when  you  are 
once  engaged,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  will  be 
within  the  next  few  days,  then  hurry  on  the 
marriage,  so  that  he  may  not  have  time  for 
regrets,  and  before  he  learns  how  we  are  reckon- 
ing on  his  money.  When  he's  once  my  brother- 
in-law  I'll  manage  to  extract  the  ducats  from 
him.  I  don't  feel  in  the  least  anxious  about 
that! 

"  Well,  Hilda,  I've  written  enough  for  to-day. 
I  have  to  go  on  duty,  the  colonel  has  Just  sum- 
moned a  meeting  of  officers  to  read  out  to  us 
again  the  most  stringent  regulations  concerning 
Courts  of  Honour.  Isn't  it  ridiculous  nonsense  ! 
As  if  one  didn't  know  how  to  behave  as  an  honour- 
able gentleman  indeed !  If  a  man  doesn't  feel 
these  things  he  doesn't  learn  them  by  yawning 
more  or  less  loudly  while  these  endless  regula- 
tions are  read  out  to  him. 

"  Send  me,  please,  the  four  thousand  marks ; 
uncle  will  give  it  you  at  once  if  you  tell  him  it 
will  be  paid  back  directly  after  your  marriage. 
Let  me  impress  this  upon  you :  have  your 
marriage  contract  drawn  up  at  a  lawyer's,  and 

107 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

mind  you  have  a  good  income  settled  upon  you. 
In  your  place,  I  wouldn't  accept  less  than  forty 
thousand  marks  a  year.  The  fellow  must  expect 
to  pay  something  for  marrying  into  such  a 
distinguished  family.  However,  I  must  tell  you 
that,  in  spite  of  the  French  champagne  which 
father  was  only  able  to  get  on  credit  on  the 
strength  of  your  approaching  marriage,  things 
at  home  are  in  a  frightful  condition.  Father 
wrote  and  asked  me  to  send  him  a  few  thousand, 
or  at  least  a  few  hundred  marks  if  I  won  at  cards. 
Ah,  if  the  old  gentleman  had  an  idea  of  the 
terrible  hole  I  am  in  !  Now,  dear  Hilda,  arrange 
your  affairs  satisfactorily.  With  love  and  kisses. 
— Your  affectionate  brother, 

"  FRITZ." 

Every  drop  of  blood  vanished  from  Hilde- 
garde's  face  as  she  read  the  letter.  She  stood 
motionless,  and  a  feeling  of  repugnance  came 
over  her,  as  it  often  did  when  she  had  news  from 
home.  She  tore  the  letter  into  a  thousand 
pieces  and  stamped  them  under  foot. 

Then  she  sank  into  a  chair  and  buried  her  face 
in  her  hands.  "  They  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  writing  to  me  in  this  way,"  she  moaned. 
"  Just  imagine  their  regarding  me  as  a  chattel 
that  is  to  be  sold  to  the  highest  bidder.  What 
is  it  that  Fritz  writes  ? — '  He  must  expect 
to  pay  something  if  he  marries  into  our 

108 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

distinguished  family.'  Distinguished  family ! " 
and  she  laughed  bitterly.  "  Bankrupts,  gamblers, 
men  with  whom  nobody  would  have  anything 
to  do  if  it  were  not  that  they  owned  noble  names 
and  wore  uniforms.  A  man  has  only  to  wear  an 
officer's  uniform  and  belong  to  an  aristocratic 
family,  and,  of  course,  he  is  a  man  of  honour." 

She  roused  herself  from  her  meditations  when 
her  aunt  came  in  to  inquire  whether  she  was 
dressed,  and  when  she  saw  Hildegarde's  face 
she  clasped  her  hands  in  horror. 

"  But,  Hildegarde,  whatever  is  the  matter  ? 
What  has  happened  ?  " 

Hildegarde  shrugged  her  shoulders  con- 
temptuously. "  What  has  happened  !  You 
can  see  by  these  pieces  on  the  floor.  Fritz  has 
been  gambling  again,  he  needs  four  thousand 
marks.  I  am  to  ask  you  for  it."  Then  suddenly 
she  burst  forth  with  passionate  indignation : 
"  Aunt,  how  could  you  tell  them  at  home  that 
my  engagement  with  Lieutenant  Winkler  was 
about  to  take  place  ?  You  ought  not  to  have 
done  such  a  thing ;  the  consequences  have  been 
serious.  On  the  strength  of  their  prospective 
son-in-law  and  brother-in-law,  both  my  father 
and  Fritz  have  contracted  all  kinds  of  debts. 
And  I  do  not  really  know  if  Lieutenant  Winkler 
even  loves  me.  I  scarcely  think  so,  but  if  he 
should  get  to  love  me  and  want  to  marry  me, 
then  I  know  what  I  shall  do :  I  shall  open  his 

109 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

eyes  to  everything.  When  he  asks  for  my  hand 
I  shall  tell  him  how  I  have  been  sent  for  years 
to  Berlin  in  order  to  get  a  rich  husband ;  how 
my  relatives  reckon  on  his  money,  and  what 
they  think  of  his  plebeian  birth.  I  shall  tell 
him  everything,  for  even  if  I  do  not  love  Lieu- 
tenant Winkler,  I  honour  him  and  respect  him 
too  highly  to  deceive  him.  He  shall  know  and 
understand  clearly  into  what  an  honourable 
family  he  is  about  to  marry.  I  shall  tell  him 
everything !  " 

"  You  will  do  no  such  thing."  Frau  von 
Warnow  had  listened  to  Hildegarde,  speechless 
with  amazement,  and  it  was  quite  a  long  time 
before  she  regained  her  composure.  "  You  will 
do  no  such  thing,"  she  repeated  with  anger. 
"  You  have  not  only  your  duty  to  your  own 
people,  but  to  us  also.  I  will  not  remind  you 
of  what  we  have  already  done  for  you.  It  is  true 
we  are  rich,  but,  in  spite  of  this,  naturally  we 
should  not  have  given  you,  your  parents  and 
your  brother,  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  pounds 
if  we  had  not  taken  it  for  granted  that  you  would 
have  repaid  us  in  some  way  or  other.  When  you 
say  that  you  will  tell  Lieutenant  Winkler  every- 
thing before  marriage,  you  say  something  that 
is  simply  ridiculous.  The  four  thousand  marks 
won't  matter  in  the  least  to  him  with  all  his 
money,  and  you  may  be  sure  he's  clever  enough 
to  know  that  a  beautiful  girl  only  marries  % 

no 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

middle-class  lieutenant  for  his  money.  If  you 
tell  him  everything  beforehand  you  warn  him, 
to  a  certain  extent,  against  marrying  you,  and 
then  he  can't  very  well  help  drawing  back. 
And  then,  what  will  you  do  ?  " 

Hildegarde  shrugged  her  beautiful  shoulders. 
"  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  don't  mind  in  the  least. 
I  shouldn't  starve.  As  I  told  you  before,  I  should 
get  a  situation  of  some  kind  or  other." 

Her  aunt  laughed  contemptuously  :  "  You 
are  out  of  your  mind  !  What  do  you  know,  I 
say  ?  What  can  you  do  ?  Have  you  any  idea  of 
housekeeping,  cooking,  domestic  work  ?  You 
certainly  couldn't  get  a  post  as  a  companion. 
You  are  not  a  good  musician,  you  don't  read 
aloud  well,  your  knowledge  of  foreign  languages 
is  practically  nil.  So  how  could  you  earn  your 
living  ?  "  She  spoke  with  the  bitterest  irony, 
but  when  she  saw  the  look  of  despair  on  Hilde- 
garde's  face,  sympathy  got  the  better  of  her, 
and  almost  tenderly  she  put  her  arm  round  the 
girl's  neck.  "  Don't  be  so  sad,  it  will  turn  out 
better  than  you  think.  I  can  quite  understand 
that  Fritz's  letter  has  terribly  upset  you,  but 
he  doesn't  mean  it  all.  I  will  talk  to  your  uncle 
to-day  about  sending  the  money.  He  shall  send 
it,  or  I  will.  And  now,  hold  your  head  high. 
It  is  high  time  for  us  to  go." 

'  Yes,  do  go,  aunt,  but  let  me  stay  at  home. 
I  am  really  not  in  the  mood  to  go  to  a  party." 

Ill 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  What  ?  Hildegarde,"— her  aunt  thought  she 
could  not  have  heard  rightly — "  you  want  to 
stay  at  home  ?  That  would  never  do.  Especially 
to-day  when  the  court  has  promised  to  put  in 
an  appearance,  you  must  not  fail  to  be  there. 
And  do  you  imagine  that  I  had  this  costly  new 
costume  made  for  you  to  take  it  off  and  put  it  in 
your  wardrobe  ?  Whatever  answer  should  I  give 
when  people  inquired  after  you  ?  " 

A  sorrowful  little  laugh  played  round  Hilde- 
garde's  mouth. 

"  Nobody  will  ask  after  me ;  they  will  be 
delighted  not  to  see  me." 

"  And  what  about  Lieutenant  Winkler  ?  What 
am  I  to  say  to  him  when  he  makes  inquiries 
after  you  ?  " 

Hildegarde  looked  at  her  aunt  with  wide-open 
eyes. 

"Do  you  not  really  understand  that  it  is 
precisely  on  his  account  that  I  don't  want  to  go 
to  the  reception  ?  It  would  be  simply  impossible 
for  me  to  talk  to  him  naturally  and  pleasantly 
after  Fritz's  letter  and  our  conversation."  Sud- 
denly, however,  she  changed  her  mind  :  "  No, 
you  are  quite  right.  I  will  not  allow  the  day, 
to  which  I  have  so  greatly  looked  forward,  to 
be  spoiled." 

Her  aunt  embraced  her  tenderly : 

"  That  is  quite  right,  my  child.  Come  along 
ROW,  the  carriage  is  at  the  door," 

113 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

They  drove  immediately  to  the  embassy.  They 
were  somewhat  late,  rows  and  rows  of  carriages 
were  drawn  up  before  the  gates,  and  it  was  long 
before  their  carriage  could  drive  in.  Herr  and 
Frau  von  Warnow  conversed  about  the  occupants 
of  the  other  carriages,  which  were  close  by  them, 
exchanged  remarks  concerning  the  elegance  of 
their  various  acquaintances,  and  passed  the  time 
in  wondering  which  of  the  royalties  would  put 
in  an  appearance  to-day.  Hildegarde  sat  silent 
in  her  corner.  In  answer  to  her  uncle  she  had 
pleaded  a  headache,  and  Frau  von  Warnow  had 
given  her  husband  a  sign  not  to  pursue  the 
matter.  So  she  could  remain  undisturbed  in  her 
thoughts.  What  had  really  made  her  change 
her  mind  and  go  to  the  reception  ?  A  sudden 
desire  had  sprung  up  in  her  to  meet  George,  to 
see  and  converse  with  an  honourable  man.  She 
did  not  exactly  know  how  she  was  to  do  it,  but 
she  had  made  up  her  mind  to  stick  to  her  resolu- 
tion and  to  say  to  him  :  "  Pay  your  court  to  some 
one  who  is  worthier  of  you  than  I  am."  Before 
she  would  accept  any  more  attentions  from  him 
she  wanted  to  tell  him  about  her  father  and  brother. 
If  then  he  continued  to  treat  her  with  peculiar 
chivalry,  and  to  endeavour  to  win  her  hand,  her 
conscience  would  be  quite  free,  and  she  could  look 
him  in  the  face  honestly  and  straightforwardly. 

"  Aren't  you  ever  going  to  get  out,  Hilde- 
garde ?  " 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

Hildegarde  got  out.  She  had  sat  in  her 
corner  with  closed  eyes,  and  did  not  notice 
that  the  footman  had  been  holding  open  the 
door  for  a  long  time.  She  followed  the  others, 
and  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later  she  walked  into 
the  enormous  reception-rooms  in  which  a  brilliant 
company  was  assembled.  There  were  endless 
greetings  and  hand-shakings,  endless  inquiries 
after  health  and  the  events  of  the  last  few  days. 
Everybody  was  constantly  looking  with  expecta- 
tion towards  the  door,  for  the  court  party  was 
momentarily  expected.  Although  no  one,  of 
course,  would  have  confessed  it,  all  were  con- 
sumed with  anxiety  to  see  whether  His  Majesty 
would  notice  and  talk  to  them,  and  distinguish 
them  by  shaking  hands.  Each  one  hoped  that 
he  would  enjoy  this  distinction.  Nobody 
wanted  the  other  to  have  it,  and  each  hoped, 
in  secret,  that  he  alone  would  be  noticed  by  the 
Emperor. 

George  was  standing  by  Hildegarde's  side. 
She  noticed  how  he  had  sought  her  out,  though 
she  had  hoped  to  avoid  him,  but  her  tall  figure 
prevented  him  from  losing  sight  of  her.  She 
feigned,  however,  to  be  astonished  when  he 
suddenly  said :  "  How  do  you  do  ?  "  to  her, 
but  she  read  in  his  eyes  that  he  had  seen  through 
her  little  ruse,  and  without  further  preamble 
he  said  to  her :  "  Are  you  vexed  with  me  for 
any  reason,  baroness  ?  " 

114 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

She  looked  at  him  frankly  and  honestly. 
"  No,  certainly  not." 

His  face  lit  up.  "That's  all  right,  then." 
After  a  slight  pause  he  said  :  "  You  avoided  me. 
Is  it  at  all  disagreeable  to  you  for  me  to  be  by 
your  side  ?  " 

Again  she  cast  a  frank  look  at  him.  "  Not 
at  all,"  and  then  somewhat  hesitatingly  she 
added :  "  Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  take  me 
in  to  supper  this  evening  ?  "  She  really  meant 
to  say :  "I  want  to  talk  to  you,"  but  she  could 
not  get  out  the  words. 

He  bowed  gratefully.  "If  we  should  lose 
sight  of  each  other  in  this  crowd,  baroness,  let 
us  meet  again  at  this  place,  if  it  is  agreeable 
to  you." 

She  nodded  agreement,  and  stepped  back  a 
little,  for  at  this  moment  the  royal  party  was 
announced.  A  mysterious  stillness  reigned,  the 
stir  of  voices  was  hushed ;  everyone  looked  at 
His  Majesty,  who  had  come  into  the  room,  and 
smiling  graciously,  walked  down  the  long  row 
of  bowed  figures.  Here  and  there  he  stopped 
and  exchanged  a  friendly  word  or  handshake, 
and  everybody  who  enjoyed  this  distinction  was 
almost  annihilated  by  his  neighbours'  envious 
glances. 

Suddenly  His  Majesty  stopped  in  front  of 
George  and  graciously  extended  his  hand.  "  Ah, 
you  are  here,  dear  Winkler.  How  are  you  ? 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

To-day  I  received  a  very  interesting  report  from 
your  father.  I  must  have  a  talk  with  him  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  then  you  must  come  with 
your  father  and  dine  with  me." 

George  bent  his  head  to  kiss  his  sovereign's 
hand,  and  as  he  did  so,  the  Emperor  noticed 
Hildegarde,  and  greeted  her  with  a  friendly 
smile.  "  Are  you  still  turning  the  heads  of  all 
my  lieutenants,  baroness  ?  "  he  asked  playfully ; 
"  though  that  is  easy  enough  when  one  is  as 
beautiful  as  you  are."  And  with  a  laughing 
glance  he  passed  on. 

In  the  stillness  that  reigned,  His  Majesty's 
words  had  been  heard  by  the  whole  room,  and 
now  all  eyes  were  turned  on  Hildegarde  and 
George,  who  were  naturally  delighted  at  the 
honour  that  had  fallen  to  them,  although  they 
were  a  little  embarrassed  at  the  harmless  badinage. 
They  stood  there  silently,  and  were  glad  when 
the  people  began  to  talk  and  walk  about  again. 
They  did  not  see  each  other  again  till  midnight, 
when  supper  was  announced.  As  usual,  it  was 
set  out  on  small  tables,  and  George  was  fortunate 
in  finding  one  at  which  the  guests  were  unknown 
to  him,  and  so  he  could  talk  undisturbed  to 
Hildegarde.  However,  they  were  temporarily 
the  objects  of  their  companions'  notice,  and 
some  of  the  ladies  spoke  freely  about  the  remarks 
which  the  Emperor  had  made  about  Hildegarde. 
Indeed  one,  a  haggard,  tall  woman,  examined 

116 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

Hildegarde  most  impertinently  through  her 
lorgnette,  and  then  said  half  aloud :  "  Well,  I 
can't  understand  why  His  Majesty  should  think 
her  so  good-looking." 

Hildegarde  threw  a  perfectly  frank  glance  at 
the  speaker  and  laughed  aloud,  then  she  turned 
to  George  and  said :  "I  cannot  tell  you  how 
delighted  I  am  at  the  words  the  Emperor  ad- 
dressed to  you.  I  am  firmly  convinced  you  will 
now  at  once  take  your  right  position  both  in 
Society  and  in  the  regiment,  which  before  you 
were  unable  to  do." 

George  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  I  scarcely 
think  so,  baroness.  I  fear  these  gracious  words 
will  have  done  me  more  harm  than  good.  People 
will  grudge  both  me  and  my  father  praise  from 
so  exalted  a  quarter.  However,  I  am  not  going 
to  let  that  spoil  my  pleasure  in  the  public  recog- 
nition of  my  father.  Do  me  the  honour  of 
drinking  to  his  health." 

"  With  the  greatest  of  pleasure,"  and  the 
glasses  clicked. 

"  I  want  you  to  know  my  father,  baroness," 
George  went  on  :  "  you  would  like  him,  though 
naturally  most  of  the  people  here  would  not. 
They  would  never  pardon  him  for  not  wearing 
well-starched  cuffs,  and  for  not  tying  his  cravat 
in  the  proper  manner.  I  think,  however,  you 
would  like  him.  Perhaps  the  next  time  he 
comes  to  Berlin  I  might  introduce  him  to  you  ? 

117 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

He  is  bringing  my  sister  with  him,  and,  as  I 
have  so  often  told  her  about  you  in  my  letters, 
she  is  most  anxious  to  make  your  acquaintance." 

Hildegarde  was  somewhat  embarrassed  at 
these  words.  Then  he  had  also  told  his  people 
about  her,  perhaps  even  he  had  confessed  that 
he  meant  to  win  her  hand.  The  remembrance 
of  her  brother's  letter  came  back  to  her.  She 
must  tell  him  all  before  it  was  too  late.  How 
was  she  to  do  it  ?  Nobody  was  paying  any 
attention  to  their  conversation,  but  how  was 
she  to  express  what  she  wanted  to  say  ?  As  he 
had  not  told  her  what  his  intentions  were,  she 
could  not  very  well  say  to  him :  "  Don't  think 
of  wooing ;  on  account  of  my  family  I  will 
not  and  cannot  be  your  wife."  And  yet  if 
without  further  explanations  she  spoke  about 
their  poverty  at  home,  might  it  not  occur  to 
him  that  perhaps  she  expected  help  from  him 
or  his  father.  She  could  find  no  way  out  of 
the  difficulty.  Then  she  wondered  why  he  had 
never  spoken  to  her  about  his  sister.  She  was 
much  astonished,  and  at  last  she  said :  "  Have 
you  a  sister,  then,  Lieutenant  Winkler  ?  Why 
did  you  never  tell  me  about  her  ?  " 

He  looked  at  her  surprised :  "  What !  did  I 
never  tell  you  about  her  ?  You  mustn't  take 
that  amiss,  for  I  had  no  intention  of  not  talking 
about  her  to  you." 

"  And  why  should  you  not  talk  about  her 

118 


to    other   people  ? "    she   inquired,    with    some 
curiosity. 

George  was  embarrassed,  and  blushed  like  a 
child.  "  I  can't  exactly  explain  it.  Perhaps  it 
is  that  when  one  loves  anybody  very  much  one 
does  not  speak  much  about  them  to  anyone. 
And  even  if  I  had  wanted  to  talk  about  her,  to 
whom  should  I  have  talked  ?  In  the  regiment 
no  one  takes  the  faintest  interest  in  me,  far 
less  in  my  family,  and  naturally,  I  don't  talk 
about  such  matters  unless  I  am  asked."  Then, 
after  a  slight  pause,  he  continued  :  "  And  there's 
another  reason  why  I  don't  care  to  talk  about 
Elsa." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  "  Hildegarde  asked,  as 
he  was  silent. 

"  I  don't  know  how  to  express  in  words  exactly 
what  I  want  to  say.  I  don't  want  to  appear 
suspicious  of  my  comrades,  neither  do  I  wish 
to  represent  myself  as  a  model  of  virtue,  which, 
indeed,  I  am  not,  and  could  not  be,  at  twenty- 
seven  years  old.  But  I  can't  help  saying  that 
at  mess  my  fellow-officers  have  a  way  of  talking 
about  young  girls,  whom  they  meet  in  Society, 
which  is  simply  revolting  to  me.  No,  not 
revolting,  that's  too  strong,"  he  corrected  him- 
self. "  I  am  simply  astounded,  and  constantly 
say  to  myself :  '  Haven't  these  officers  sisters, 
and  haven't  their  mothers  taught  them  any 
respect  and  reverence  for  women  ;  so  that  they 

119 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

don't  treat  all  alike  ?  '  In  my  old  regiment  it 
was  quite  different ;  we  were  not  perhaps  more 
moral  men,  but  in  the  little  town  where  we 
were  brought  into  such  close  relationship  with 
the  few  families,  we  could  not  criticise  the  young 
girls  so  freely  and  so  shamelessly.  I  remember 
how  once  at  dinner  an  officer  went  so  far  as 
to  make  an  insulting  remark  about  one  of  the 
ladies.  The  orderlies  were  sent  out  of  the  room, 
and  the  oldest  officer  at  the  table,  an  old  captain, 
read  the  young  lieutenant  such  a  lecture  before 
us  all,  that  he  never  said  a  single  word  in  excuse. 

"  That  is  as  it  ought  to  be,"  said  Hildegarde. 

"  Certainly,"  George  agreed,  "  that  is  why  I 
am  astonished  that  our  officers  don't  feel  like 
that.  If  only  the  girls,  who  so  often  regard  a 
lieutenant  as  the  paragon  of  perfection,  knew, 
or  could  hear  with  their  own  ears  how  the  officers 
talk  about  them  after  they  have  been  to  an 
entertainment,  they  would  blush  with  shame, 
and  a  lieutenant  would  soon  cease  to  be  their 
ideal.  There  are,  of  course,  exceptions,  thank 
God  !  but  most  of  my  fellow-officers  are  as  I 
have  just  described,  and  it  is  the  same  in  other 
regiments ;  to  them  a  woman  is  just  like  a 
horse — a  thing  to  be  examined  and  appraised. 
How  is  it,  I  wonder,  that  a  young  girl  is  of  so 
little  account  to  a  lieutenant,  that  he  talks  of 
her  without  the  least  respect  ?  I  have  often 
thought  over  the  matter.  Is  it,  perhaps  due 

120 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

to  their  education  ?  Most  of  them  grow  up 
in  the  regiment ;  they  have  no  home  life  ;  they 
only  see  their  sisters  and  their  friends  when 
on  leave ;  as  cadets,  they  go  into  Society  to 
make  conquests,  and  each  conquest  helps  to 
lower  all  young  girls  in  their  eyes.  Perhaps  the 
girls  themselves  are  to  a  certain  extent  answer- 
able for  this  state  of  affairs.  In  Society  there 
exists  no  one  but  a  lieutenant  for  them,  they 
ignore  a  civilian,  unless  he  happens  to  be  a 
reserve  officer.  The  lieutenant  simply  goes  about 
in  pursuit  of  conquest,  and  often  he  wins  the 
victory  only  too  easily.  I  cannot  speak  of 
this  from  my  own  experience.  I  am  a  stranger 
here,  but  I  have  often  heard  my  comrades  talk 
of  young  girls  who  push  themselves  forward, 
send  them  love-letters,  and  who  do  not  even 
wait  until  they  are  asked  to  give  a  rendezvous, 
but  ask  permission  to  be  allowed  to  visit  the 
officers,  either  in  a  friend's  house,  or  in  the 
officers'  quarters." 

"  But,  Lieutenant  Winkler,"  interrupted  Hilde- 
garde,  "  no  lady  would  do  such  a  thing." 

"  She  certainly  ought  not  to  do  so,"  he  agreed, 
"  but,  nevertheless,  she  does.  Just  give  a  glance 
at  the  select  company  here.  How  many  of  these 
aristocratic  ladies  have  not  a  more  or  less  harm- 
less intrigue  with  a  lieutenant  ?  It  is  not  only 
the  married  ladies,  I  can  assure  you.  Those  young 
girls  trip  about  so  modestly  and  chastely,  yet 

121 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

their  great  pride  is  that,  in  spite  of  their  youth, 
they  have  had  a  past." 

Hildegarde  knew  only  too  well  that  he  was 
right.  She  remembered  how  most  of  the  friends 
of  her  youth  had  had  a  lieutenant  lover.  How 
often  had  she  not  spoken  to  them  about  this, 
and  reproached  them,  but  all  had  given  the 
same  answer  :  "  Why  shouldn't  I  have  a  lover  ? 
the  others  have,  and  what's  the  use  of  being 
young  and  beautiful  ?  Do  you  think  that  our 
blood  remains  calm  when  a  man  pays  court  to 
us  the  whole  evening,  presses  us  closely  to  him 
when  dancing,  and  casts  longing  glances  at  us  ? 
Are  we  to  wait  till  we  have  a  husband  ?  We 
may  wait  a  long  time,  perhaps  for  ever,  and 
what  then  ?  Do  you  want  us  to  die  without 
having  had  experience  of  life  ?  How  ridiculous  !  " 

They  told  one  another  with  truly  cynical 
frankness  how  they  managed  to  deceive  their 
parents  and  prevent  any  consequence  of  their 
intrigues.  Perhaps  Hildegarde  was  naturally  too 
cold  and  too  lacking  in  passion  to  understand 
her  friends.  Above  all,  she  could  not  under- 
stand the  officers  who,  more  than  all  others, 
ought  to  be  regarded  as  honourable  men,  and 
who  yet  made  no  scruples  of  entering  into  a 
liaison  with  the  wife  or  daughter  of  the  house 
where  they  enjoyed  the  pleasantest  social  rela- 
tions. 

Hildegarde  and  George  sat  for  a  long  time 

122 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

occupied  with  their  own  thoughts.  George  mis- 
interpreted Hildegarde's  silence.  He  thought 
she  was  perhaps  vexed  with  his  remarks,  and 
so  he  said  : 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  angry  with  me  for  having 
spoken  so  freely  and  frankly  in  your  presence ; 
but  we  have  both  of  us  been  brought  up  among 
quite  different  circumstances  and  educated  in 
quite  different  views." 

Hildegarde  felt  that  she  blushed.  Grown  up 
among  different  circumstances  indeed !  It  was 
entirely  her  own  merit  that  she  did  not  resemble 
her  companions.  Perhaps,  however,  it  was 
partly  due  to  her  father  and  brother  who  had 
constantly  written  to  her :  "  Don't  throw  your- 
self away,  and  don't  enter  into  a  liaison  if  you 
are  not  sure  that  it  will  lead  to  marriage.  You 
will  get  nothing  out  of  it,  and  then  you  lower 
your  value  and  utterly  destroy  the  hopes  we 
set  upon  you." 

How  often  had  she  not  wondered  whether 
her  brother  would  have  been  quite  inconsolable 
if  she  had  written  to  him :  "I  have  not  found 
a  husband  but  a  friend.  If  you  will  pardon 
this,  I  will  pay  your  debts." 

She  did  not  doubt  that  he  would  accept  the 
money  in  order  to  remain  an  officer  and  play 
the  feted  and  envied  role  in  Society  of  a  soldier. 

"  Are  you  angry  with  me  ?  "  George  asked, 
as  Hildegarde  still  remained  silent. 

123 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

She  roused  herself  from  her  thoughts.  "  Why 
should  I  be  ? "  And  in  order  to  turn  the  con- 
versation, which  was  painful  to  her,  to  another 
subject,  she  again  inquired  about  his  sister. 
And  then  George  told  her  all  about  his  sister- 
how  charming  and  beautiful  she  was,  how  kindly 
and  good,  how  they  had  grown  up  together  as 
excellent  friends,  and  how  often  they  had  fought 
each  other's  battles  when  they  were  children. 
He  told  his  stories  gaily,  with  sparkling  eyes, 
and  Hildegarde  listened  with  interest. 

"  Do  you  know,  I  envy  you  your  sister,  or 
rather  the  pleasant  relation  in  which  you  stand 
to  her.  Sisterly  love  is  such  a  beautiful  thing." 

"  Yes,  certainly ;  but  you  are  also  in  that 
happy  situation.  You  have  a  brother." 

"  Please  do  not  speak  to  me  about  him." 

There  was  such  a  tone  of  contempt  and  de- 
preciation in  her  words  that  he  looked  at  her 
with  astonishment. 

"  But,  baroness,  he  is  your  brother." 

"  You  do  not  know  him.  Please  let  us  change 
the  subject." 

"Certainly,   if  you  wish  it." 

In  his  embarrassment  George  emptied  his 
glass  and  vainly  thought  of  another  topic,  and 
both  were  glad  when  at  last  everybody  rose 
from  the  table. 

The  ball  went  on  till  the  small  hours  of  the 
morning,  and  during  the  dancing  George  never 

124 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

lost  sight  of  Hildegarde.  He  had  the  pleasure 
of  being  able  to  introduce  some  fresh  officers 
and  partners ;  and  he  was  really  more  delighted 
than  she  was  at  the  admiration  she  evoked. 

It  was  late  when  at  last  the  ball  broke  up. 
George,  at  the  last  moment,  was  unable  to  say 
farewell  to  Hildegarde,  and  he  walked  home 
with  a  companion  in  a  somewhat  bad  humour. 

His  companion  was  apparently  occupied  with 
some  thoughts  that  interested  him.  Suddenly 
he  stood  still  and  seized  George  by  the  arm. 
"  What  will  you  bet  that  he  wins  her  ?  That 
would  be  much  better  than  a  lucky  stroke  at 
cards." 

George  regarded  his  comrade  with  astonish- 
ment. "  I  don't  understand  what  you  mean. 
Whom  are  you  speaking  about  ?  " 

The  other  went  on  walking  again.  "  Oh, 
yes,  of  course,  you  don't  know  Gastion  of  the 
Hussars.  My  gracious,  he  has  paid  court  to 
Fraulein  von  Reisinger  this  evening  !  Well,  she 
is  no  longer  very  young,  and  she  never  was 
pretty,  but  her  family  is  a  very  old  Jewish  one. 
I  believe  her  mother  was  a  Moses,  but  that  doesn't 
matter.  She  has  money ;  a  frightful  amount 
of  money.  If  Gastion  gets  that,  he  can  live  in 
fine  style.  But  he  certainly  needs  it ;  he  is 
said  to  be  two  hundred  thousand  marks  in 
debt." 

George  had  listened  without  apparently  much 

125 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

interest.  Then  he  said :  "  Is  it  not  really 
frightful  that  we  officers — present  company,  of 
course,  excepted — when  we  choose  a  wife,  make 
it  a  matter  of  convenience  ?  We  live  luxuriously, 
we  fling  away  our  money  and  our  health,  and 
when  one  day  we  are  at  the  end  of  our  tether, 
we  look  out  at  balls  and  parties  for  a  rich  young 
girl  who  will  put  things  right  for  us  again.  The 
more  money  she  has  the  more,  of  course,  we  run 
after  her.  How  few  marry  on  their  pay  !  " 

"  Well,  of  course,  that's  ridiculous ;  who  can 
live  on  a  few  pence." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,  though  many  people 
manage  to  do  so.  But  still  is  it  not  a  very 
interesting  psychological  fact  that  almost  every 
officer  falls  in  love  with  a  girl  who  is  rich  and 
ugly  ?  Yet  no  one  of  course  ever  admits  that 
he  has  married  for  money.  It  is  indeed  insulting 
and  libellous  to  suggest  such  a  thing.  On  the 
contrary,  everyone  pretends  that  in  spite  of  his 
wife's  lack  of  beauty  and  more  or  less  unpleasing 
characteristics,  he  really  loves  her.  If  she  had 
no  money  he  would  of  course  not  look  at  her. 
To  speak  quite  frankly,  I  cannot  in  the  least 
understand  how  rich  parents  can  give  their 
daughter  to  an  officer.  People  must  know  that 
officers  only  accept  their  daughters  because  of 
the  money,  and  I  cannot  imagine  how  the  girls 
themselves  can  be  so  foolish  as  to  suppose  they 
are  married  for  love." 

126 


HILDEGARDE  AND  GEORGE 

"  Excuse  me,"  put  in  his  companion,  "  you 
are  expressing  very  curious  views.  According 
to  you,  then,  young  girls  who  are  rich  ought  not 
to  marry  at  all." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  I  do  not  say  that,  but 
they  ought  to  marry  whom  they  like,  only  not 
lieutenants,  who,  in  nine  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  cases  out  of  one  thousand  would  not  dream 
of  marrying  if  they  were  not  up  to  their  ears  in 
debt."  " 

"It  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  talk,"  said  the 
other.  "It  is  easy  you  know  for  a  man  who  is 
born  into  the  world  a  millionaire  to  judge  a  poor 
devil  severely.  What  you  say  is  all  very  beauti- 
ful and  noble  in  theory,  but  what  about  practice  ? 
When  I  can,  I  prefer  to  ride  in  my  own  carriage, 
rather  than  the  electric  tram.  Ah,  here  our 
ways  separate,  you  go  to  the  right,  I  to  the  left. 
What  time  do  you  go  on  duty  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all  in  the  morning." 

"  Lucky  fellow,  I  must  be  on  parade  at  seven. 
Good-night." 

After  a  cool  handshake  the  comrades  separated 
and  a  little  later  George  reached  his  rooms. 


127 


CHAPTER  VI 
MILITARY  MORALS 

IT  had  all  turned  out  just  as  George  had  foretold  ; 
the  kindly  words  which  His  Majesty  had  addressed 
to  him  at  the  American  Embassy  and  the  warm 
praise  of  his  father,  had  not  contributed  towards 
improving  his  position  in  the  regiment ;  on  the 
contrary,  it  had  made  it  worse.  Scarcely  a 
day  passed  but  some  one  or  other  in  George's 
absence  talked  about  him  and  discussed  the 
Emperor's  remarks.  Whatever  had  made  the 
Emperor  specially  distinguish  him,  the  only 
plebeian  officer  of  the  regiment  ?  Even  the 
colonel  had  had  to  be  content  with  a  mere  hand- 
shake, the  staff  officers,  not  to  mention  the  others, 
had  scarcely  received  a  glance  ;  George  alone 
had  been  addressed.  Was  it  mere  chance  or 
was  it  really  the  report  of  the  button  manu- 
facturer— as  Old  Winkler  was  always  called  for 
shortness — that  had  occasioned  the  remarks  ? 
And  what  on  earth  could  such  a  manufacturer 
tell  His  Majesty  which  he  did  not  know  already  ? 
Old  Winkler  indeed  was  said  to  be  unique  in  his 

128 


MILITARY  MORALS 

arrangements  for  the  benefits  of  his  workpeople 
and  in  his  efforts  for  their  welfare,  and  he  had 
discovered  new  methods  and  means  of  ameliora- 
ting their  existence.  Of  course,  everybody 
knew  that  His  Majesty  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  condition  of  the  working  classes,  but  in  spite 
of  this,  they  thought  this  public  praise  of  Old 
Winkler  somewhat  ostentatious  and  superfluous, 
if  an  officer — and  therefore  a  loyal  subject — 
might  venture  to  criticise  His  Majesty's  words. 
Or  had  the  Emperor's  words  any  particular 
significance  ?  The  Emperor  knew,  of  course, 
what  was  thought  about  George  in  the  regiment, 
how  he  was  still  an  "  outsider,"  and  would 
always  remain  one.  Had  His  Majesty's  words 
meant — "  You  need  not  trouble  yourselves,  you 
will  not  get  rid  of  Lieutenant  Winkler,  he  has  a 
powerful  protector  in  me."  Had  he  perhaps 
wanted  to  encourage  George  by  his  gracious 
words  to  persevere  and  not  to  despair  even  if  he 
had  not  succeeded  in  winning  a  good  position 
in  the  regiment  ? 

Not  a  single  "  Golden  Butterfly "  had  ever 
been  commanded  to  attend  at  Court,  except  on 
the  occasion  of  some  great  entertainment ;  then 
the  regiment  had  appeared  as  a  whole,  and  even 
this  distinction  had  made  them  feel  very  proud. 
And  now  George  was  publicly  invited  by  the 
Emperor  to  come  with  his  father  to  dine  at  Court. 
It  was  well  known  that  His  Majesty  frequently 

129  ! 


gave  little  parties  where  everybody  was  quite 
unconstrained,  and  there  was  much  lively  con- 
versation. The  Emperor  surprised  everyone  by 
the  astonishing  amount  of  his  knowledge  and 
fascinated  all  by  his  great  personal  attractions. 
Why  should  George  be  invited  to  share  in  these 
intimate  little  parties  ?  Simply  because  he  was 
the  son  of  his  father.  And  who  indeed  was  his 
father  ?  He  was  merely  a  middle-class  button 
manufacturer,  and  he  would  remain  that,  even 
if  he  were  wiser  and  more  important  than  all 
the  other  wise  men  put  together. 

They  would  not  have  grudged  any  of  their 
other  companions  the  honour  which  had  been 
paid  to  George.  They  would  have  regarded  it 
as  an  honour  paid  to  the  aristocratic  classes  to 
which  they  themselves  belonged.  They  grudged 
it  George  because  they  said  to  themselves  :  "If 
nowadays  the  middle-class  is  to  be  honoured  in 
this  way,  what  is  there  then  for  the  nobility, 
who  have  done,  and  will  do  more,  for  Germany 
than  manufacture  trouser-buttons,  which  cer- 
tainly have  the  advantage  of  being  durable  and 
cheap." 

Up  till  the  present  the  officers  had  not  troubled 
to  take  any  notice  of  George.  Now  they  turned 
their  attention  to  him,  and  although  he  was 
always  quiet  and  modest  in  his  behaviour  to  his 
companions,  and  yet  dignified  without  being 
proud,  they  became  even  haughtier  than  they 

130 


MILITARY  MORALS 

had  formerly  been.  More  than  ever  they  were 
the  aristocrats  ;  more  than  ever  they  endeavoured 
to  show  him  what  a  great  and  impassable  barrier 
divided  him  from  them.  Their  behaviour  indi- 
cated as  clearly  as  words :  "  We  intend  to  get 
rid  of  him ;  one  day  he  himself  will  perceive 
that  he  cannot  possibly  remain  with  us  any 
longer." 

George  was  perfectly  well  aware  of  the  feeling 
that  existed  against  him,  and  even  if  he  had 
wanted  to  deceive  himself  in  this  matter,  one 
thing  would  have  opened  his  eyes  to  this  fact. 
This  was  the  condescending  manner  in  which 
young  Willberg  regularly  every  week,  purely  as 
a  matter  of  form,  made  his  excuses  for  not  having 
been  able  to  return  the  £50  which  he  had  been 
obliging  enough  to  lend  him. 

"  I  really  do  not  want  the  money,"  George  said 
every  time ;  "on  the  contrary,  I  live  so  eco- 
nomically that  I  save  money.  I  would  gladly 
lend  you  a  larger  amount,  and  you  need  not 
hurry  about  paying  it  back." 

George  noticed  how  very  gladly  young  Will- 
berg  accepted  the  generously-offered  help,  for  it 
was  an  open  secret  that  he  would  not  be  able 
to  go  on  much  longer.  Nobody  knew  exactly 
how  he  stood  with  regard  to  money  matters. 
He  did  not  gamble  more  than  the  others,  but 
he  had  other  expenses.  In  the  eyes  of  young 
girls  in  Society,  he  enjoyed  much  distinction  in 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

consequence  of  his  amours.  He  knew  how  inter- 
esting he  was  to  them,  because  he  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  not  being  able  to  be  faithful  to  anyone. 
And  he  knew  equally  well  that  in  spite  of  this 
reputation,  or  rather  just  because  of  it,  he  would 
have  no  difficulty  in  winning  a  rich  wife  one  day. 
The  bride  would  be  envied  for  having  a  fianc6 
with  such  an  interesting  past ;  they  would 
consider  her  lucky  to  have  caught  him.  He 
intended  to  marry  later,  but  his  wife  must  have 
money,  a  great  deal  of  money,  for  he  had  no 
intention  of  changing  his  mode  of  life  when  he 
was  a  married  man.  Willberg  had  no  idea  of 
the  value  of  money,  and  whenever  he  was  able 
to  borrow  a  few  pounds  from  a  relative  he  could 
not  rest  until  he  had  spent  it.  He  was  continually 
in  debt,  and  just  now  things  were  very  bad  with 
him.  He  was  always  complaining  of  his  wretched 
position,  and  drank  more  wine  than  usual  to 
drown  his  cares.  He  owed  money  all  round  the 
regiment,  and  George  foresaw  that  it  would  not 
be  long  before  young  Willberg  would  again  borrow 
from  him  without  being  able  to  discharge  his 
former  debt.  And  the  moment  came  sooner 
than  even  George  had  imagined. 

George  had  gone  home  one  day  from  the 
mess-room  earlier  than  usual.  He  had  received 
a  letter  from  his  friend  Olga,  a  young  actress  at 
the  Residenz  Theatre,  saying  that  she  would 
come  to  supper  with  him.  At  first  he  had 

132 


«  MILITARY  MORALS 

thought  of  putting  her  off,  as  he  had  some 
important  work  to  do,  but  finally  he  had  tele- 
graphed to  her :  "  Come,  I  am  expecting  you." 
He  had  not  the  heart  to  spoil  her  evening.  She 
was  so  fond  of  him,  and  so  happy  in  his  comfort- 
able and  beautifully-furnished  rooms.  There 
was  nothing  more  delightful  to  her  than  to  admire 
his  beautiful  things  and  rummage  in  his  library. 

Soon  they  were  sitting  in  the  little  dining- 
room,  opposite  each  other  at  the  charmingly 
decorated  table,  and  George  observed  laughingly 
how  she  enjoyed  the  oysters  and  Pommery. 

"  It  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  laugh.  You 
have  just  come  from  dinner,  but  I  have  eaten 
nothing  since  three  o'clock." 

"  My  dear  child,  go  on  eating.  I  am  only  too 
delighted  if  it  is  to  your  taste,  and  the  more 
you  eat  the  better  pleased  I  am.  And  when  you 
have  finished  these  oysters  here,  there  is  another 
dozen  outside  on  ice,  and  after  that  there  is 
your  favourite  dish — stuffed  artichokes." 

She  clapped  her  hands  with  pleasure  like  a 
child ;  then  she  looked  at  him  gratefully  with 
her  wide-open,  dark  brown  eyes,  and  softly 
stroked  his  hand.  "  How  good  and  kind  you  are 
to  me." 

"  Really,  Olga  !  "  He  was  almost  embar- 
rassed by  the  feeling  in  her  voice,  and  attempted 
to  joke :  "  Don't  make  fun  of  me,  Olga.  If 
the  whole  extent  of  my  kindness  to  you  consists 

133 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

in  my  telling  my  landlady  to  cook  your  favourite 
dishes,  it  is  really  not  very  much."  And  after  a 
slight  pause,  he  added  :  "I  am  very  fond  of  you, 
little  Olga." 

She  looked  at  him  delighted.  "  Do  you  really 
mean  it  ?  "  And  when  he  bowed  and  drank  her 
health,  she  said  :  "  Do  you  know,  I  believe  you. 
Indeed  when  I  am  with  you  I  know  that  you 
are  fond  of  me." 

Suddenly  she  jumped  up,  clung  to  him,  and 
kissed  him  passionately. 

"  But,  Olga,  my  dear  girl,  your  oysters  will  be 
getting  cold,"  he  said  at  last,  as  she  went  on 
caressing  him. 

Laughingly  she  stopped  and  sat  down  again. 

Olga  was  a  picturesque  looking  girl  of  medium 
height,  faultless  figure,  a  bright  intelligent  face, 
wonderful  brown  eyes  and  a  charming  little  nose. 
Everything  about  her  was  petite.  She  had  small 
hands  that  were  most  carefully  attended  to,  and 
ravishing  little  feet.  Her  whole  expression  and 
bearing  was  sympathetic  in  the  highest  degree. 
Without  being  exactly  clever  she  was  amusing 
and  bright.  One  could  talk  to  her  for  hours 
together  without  suffering  a  moment's  boredom  ; 
she  could  tell  amusing  stories  and  was  always 
ready  to  see  a  joke.  She  laughed  so  heartily 
that  the  tears  came  into  her  eyes,  and  when 
she  laughed  she  always  showed  her  dazzling 
white  teeth.  One  thing  about  her  was  especially 

134 


MILITARY  MORALS 

attractive  to  George,  she  was  a  thoroughly 
straightforward  creature.  She  was  always  good- 
tempered  and  amiable,  never  capricious  or  ex- 
travagant. Only  once  had  she  ever  expressed 
a  wish  to  George.  For  days  he  had  noticed  that 
something  worried  her ;  he  urged  her  constantly 
to  tell  him,  and  at  last  she  did  so. 

"  But,  first  of  all,  you  must  put  out  the  gas, 
otherwise  I  shall  be  so  terribly  ashamed ;  you 
mustn't  look  at  me  when  I  tell  you." 

Laughingly  he  had  agreed  to  her  wish,  and 
then  she  had  confessed  :  "I  want  a  little  gold 
watch  tremendously." 

And  when  he  remained  speechless  with  aston- 
ishment at  her  modesty,  she  went  on  :  "  Don't 
be  angry  with  me,  I  saw  a  perfectly  lovely  watch 
in  a  shop  window  for  a  hundred  marks,  but  if 
that  is  too  much,  a  cheaper  one  will  do  perfectly 
well." 

When  he  had  carried  out  her  desire,  and  bought 
her  a  costly  watch  and  a  gold  chain,  she  had  sat 
the  whole  evening  with  him  without  taking  any 
interest  in  him,  but  playing  with  her  watch, 
alternately  laughing  and  crying  for  joy.  At 
the  beginning  of  their  acquaintanceship  she  could 
not  be  induced  to  accept  anything  from  him  ; 
for  days  he  had  argued  with  her,  and  only  at 
last  did  she  allow  him  to  make  her  an  allowance 
when  he  declared  in  the  most  emphatic  manner 
that  otherwise  he  would  have  nothing  further 

135 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

to  do  with  her.  He  paid  for  her  rooms  and 
everything  she  required  without  pampering  her. 
For  his  own  sake  he  took  care  that  things  were 
all  right  for  her,  and  without  her  knowing  it  he 
regularly  put  £10  in  the  bank  for  her  every 
week.  "  Then  at  least  she  need  not  throw  her- 
self into  the  arms  of  the  first  best  man  whenever 
we  separate,"  he  said  to  himself. 

He  had  been  to  the  bank  on  her  account  this 
very  day,  and  on  his  way  back  he  had  bought 
a  pretty  little  brooch,  which  he  just  remembered. 
"  Good  gracious,  Olga,  I  quite  forgot  something. 
Look,  here's  a  little  trifle  for  you." 

He  got  up  and  fetched  the  jewel-case,  and 
enjoyed  the  delighted  look  that  she  cast  upon 
the  ornament. 

"  George,  you  really  ought  not  to  give  me 
such  presents." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,  I  never  give  more  than 
I  can  afford,  and,  like  all  my  presents,  it  is  paid 
for." 

She  thanked  him  once  more,  then  she  said  : 
"  Do  you  know,  I  am  really  to  be  envied  for 
knowing  you  ?  Don't  misunderstand  me,  you 
know  perfectly  well  that  I  want  nothing  from 
you  and  ask  nothing  of  you.  Once  I  know  I 
asked  you  for  a  watch,  and  I  am  heartily  ashamed 
of  it,  and  if  I  had  ever  imagined  that  you  would 
have  spent  so  much  over  it  I  would  never  have 
mentioned  it,  for  I  would  not  have  you  imagine 

136 


MILITARY  MORALS 

for  a  moment  that  I  care  for  you  because  you 
are  rich." 

"  But,  Olga,  I  know  all  that,  you  have  no  need 
to  tell  me.  You  were  going  to  tell  me,  however, 
why  you  are  to  be  envied  because  we  are  friends." 

"  Because  you  are  an  honourable  man,  because 
— well,  how  can  I  tell  you.  You  see  all  my 
friends  at  the  theatre  have  a  patron  and  pro- 
tector. But  what  sort  of  men  are  they  ? 
Men  of  the  world  in  the  worst  sense  of 
the  word,  who  bluster  and  bully,  contract 
debt  after  debt,  and  if  they  give  a  present 
it  is  not  paid  for ;  everything  they  give  is  bor- 
rowed, and  that  destroys  all  pleasure  in  receiving 
the  gift.  But  everything  connected  with  you 
is  so  high-class,  straightforward,  solid.  Your 
way  of  living  is  like  your  character ;  one  knows 
one  can  rely  on  you,  that  you  are  a  thoroughly 
honourable  and  reliable  man." 

Again  George  was  embarrassed.  "  Olga,  Olga, 
why  these  expressions  of  affection  after  so  long 
an  acquaintanceship  ?  " 

"  To-day  is  just  the  right  moment,"  she 
replied,  and  then  with  some  confusion  she  added  : 
"  This  very  day,  three  months  ago,  I  met  you 
for  the  first  time." 

"  Are  you  sorry." 

She  kissed  his  hand.  "  You — you — I — I  am 
awfully  fond  of  you.  How  could  I  indeed  be 
sorry  ?  "  Then  she  continued  very  earnestly  : 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  You  know,  for  I  have  already  told  you,  how 
that  blackguard  of  a  lieutenant  treated  me,  and 
I  swore  henceforward  to  be  an  honourable  woman 
and  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  a  man.  I  kept 
to  my  resolution  for  a  year.  Well,  what  hap- 
pened then  ?  Then  there  came  along  someone 
whom  I  liked  very  much,  and  who  was  very 
good  and  kind  to  me.  You  know  it  is  very 
difficult  to  be  respectable  on  the  stage ;  we 
inferior  ones  are  always  envious  of  the  '  stars  ' 
who  go  about  in  silk  and  satin,  and  who  frequently 
cannot  act  any  better  than  the  others,  and  who 
only  owe  their  position  to  a  rich  friend  who 
pays  for  their  dresses  and  arranges  with  the 
director  and  manager  that  his  protegee  shall  be 
brought  out  and  given  a  good  part.  Well,  that's 
how  it  is,  and  besides  one  wants  to  enjoy  one's 
life ;  everybody  does  the  same,  not  only  those 
who  are  on  the  stage.  We  are  not  the  worst ; 
the  others  who  do  it  all  secretly  and  pose  as 
highly  respectable  young  women,  they  are  really 
the  worst." 

"  Now,  now,  Olga,  take  a  glass  of  wine.  Why 
do  you  get  into  a  temper  ?  Do  be  cheerful  again." 

After  a  short  struggle  her  naturally  kindly 
disposition  got  the  upper  hand.  "  You  are  quite 
right.  I  cannot  alter  what  has  already  hap- 
pened, but  still  the  lieutenant  was  a  blackguard  ; 
you  remember  I  told  you  he  shot  himself  later, 
and  that  was  the  best  thing  he  could  do." 

138 


"  Don't  be  so  hard,  Olga." 

"  Pray  do  not  stand  up  for  him,"  she  went  on 
angrily.  "  I  know  what  you  feel :  that  if  a 
young  girl  accepts  an  invitation  from  an  officer 
she  must  know  quite  well  what  to  expect.  But 
I  was  very  young  and  inexperienced  then." 

"  But,  Olga,  I  cannot  understand  you  to-day. 
What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  Why  do  you 
insult  the  officers  in  this  way.  You  remember 
I  am  one." 

"  Ah,  you,"  she  said  tenderly.  "  You  are  not 
really  one  of  them.  You  are  much  too  honour- 
able. You  are  a  man,  the  others  are  stuck-up 
apes,  and  besides  that,  generally  liars  and  be- 
trayers." 

"  Olga,  I  beg  you  with  all  seriousness  to  cease 
making  these  remarks.  Whatever  is  the  matter 
with  you  ?  Shall  we  stay  here  or  go  into  the 
sitting-room  ?  "  he  asked  her  presently. 

"  Let  us  go  into  the  sitting-room,"  she  replied. 
She  loved  the  large  beautiful  room  with  its 
splendid  carpet,  heavy  portiere  and  the  fine 
pictures.  Best  of  all  she  loved  the  large  com- 
fortable leather  seat  hi  front  of  the  fire,  and 
every  time  that  she  visited  George  she  meant  to 
ask  him  to  let  her  sit  in  that  chair  after  dinner. 
She  had  never  done  so,  because  on  every  occasion, 
to-day  included,  directly  they  went  into  the 
sitting-room  George  drew  out  the  chaise  tongue 
for  her,  put  a  cushion  under  her  head,  and  covered 

139 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

her  with  a  great  bear  rug.  He  always  did  this, 
and  treated  her  with  so  much  love  and  such 
tender  consideration  that  she  had  not  the  heart 
to  tell  him  how  uncomfortable  she  was. 

"  Are  you  comfortable,  darling  ?  " 

Again,  from  affection,  she  told  him  an  untruth  : 
"  Simply  lovely." 

He  kissed  her  tenderly,  handed  her  a  cigarette, 
took  a  cigar  for  himself,  and  then  sat  down  on 
a  chair  by  her  side. 

"  You  do  live  in  a  splendid  way,  George. 
You  can't  imagine  how  happy  I  feel  when  I  am 
with  you." 

"  Because  you  are  in  my  rooms,  or  because 
you  are  with  me  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  in  your  rooms,  naturally," 
she  said  teasingly.  "  Why  ever  should  I  care 
about  you  ?  You  are  an  old  cynic  who  does 
not  deserve  that  I  should  like  him  so  much  and 
be  so  nice  to  him.  Oh,  you  dear  old  silly,  come 
here,  and  let  me  give  you  a  kiss.  Well,  now, 
that  will  do,  be  sensible  and  sit  down  nicely  and 
tell  me  what  you  have  been  doing  lately.  What 
parties  have  you  been  to,  and  with  whom  have 
you  danced  ?  Whom  did  you  go  for  your  cure 
with  ?  " 

George  answered  and  asked  questions.  Olga 
showed  a  real  and  sincere  interest  in  everything 
that  concerned  him ;  he  knew  that  he  could 
entirely  trust  her,  and  that  later,  when  they 

140 


MILITARY  MORALS 

parted,  she  would  make  no  use  of  anything 
he  had  told  her,  and  so  he  spoke  quite  frankly 
to  her.  He  told  her  about  the  regiment,  his 
parents,  and  his  sister,  but  naturally  enough 
he  never  spoke  a  word  about  Hildegarde.  He 
had  not  once  mentioned  her  name,  and  to-day 
likewise  he  was  silent  on  the  subject.  Not 
indeed  that  he  feared  Olga  would  be  jealous ; 
she  was  too  sensible  and  intelligent  for  that, 
and,  moreover,  she  had  often  said  she  wished 
he  would  marry  a  lovely  and  beautiful  wife. 
In  spite  of  all  that,  however,  an  inexplicable 
feeling  prevented  his  speaking  about  Hildegarde 
to  her. 

Olga  listened  to  him  attentively ;  many  of 
the  names  of  the  people  in  Society  were  familiar 
to  her,  she  remembered  them  from  his  former 
accounts,  and  she  showed  by  her  questions  now 
and  again  that  she  was  following  him  with  real 
interest.  Naturally  she  was  most  interested  in 
knowing  what  the  ladies  wore,  but  she  did  not  get 
much  information  from  him  on  this  point. 

"  How  can  you  be  so  foolish  as  not  to  notice 
these  things  ?  "  she  scolded  him.  "  A  woman 
is  most  interested  in  what  another  woman  has 
on." 

"  Or  rather  what  she  has  not  on,"  he  said 
mockingly. 

The  entrance  of  the  servant  put  an  end  to 
their  conversation. 

141 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  A  letter  has  just  come  for  you,  sir." 

"  Any  answer  ?  " 

"  The  messenger  did  not  say  anything,  he 
did  not  wait." 

"  Very  weU." 

The  servant  disappeared  and  George  held 
the  note  a  moment  in  his  right  hand  unopened. 

"  Who  is  it  from  ?  "  inquired  Olga. 

"  I  do  not  know  how  it  is,  but  a  vague  feeling 
tells  me  that  this  letter  contains  something 
unpleasant  for  me." 

"Shall  I  read  it  to  you  then?  If  I  think 
the  contents  will  vex  you  I  will  tear  it  up  and 
never  tell  you  what  was  in  it." 

He  kissed  her  hand.  "  You  are  a  dear  little 
thing,  but  I  am  afraid  that  won't  do.  Well, 
let  us  see  what  it  is." 

He  opened  the  envelope  with  a  paper-knife, 
turned  over  the  sheet  and  looked  at  the  signature. 
A  slight  triumphant  smile  played  round  his  mouth. 
"  Ah,  ha,  Willberg,  I  said  so !  " 

Olga  had  risen  and  was  leaning  her  head 
on  her  right  hand ;  now  she  looked  at  George 
anxiously  and  expectantly.  "  Willberg,  what  does 
he  want  of  you  ?  You  told  me  once  how  oddly 
he  behaved  to  you.  Why  does  he  write  you  ?  " 

Instead  of  an  answer  George  handed  her  the 
letter,  and  Olga  read ; 

"  DEAR  WINKLER, — Although  I  am  still  deep 
142 


MILITARY  MORALS 

in  your  debt,  and  am  no  more  able  to  discharge  it 
to-day  than  I  was  weeks  ago,  yet  I  am  forced 
once  more  to  ask  you  for  help,  and  that  as 
promptly  and  swiftly  as  possible.  To-day  we 
have  been  gambling  simply  frightfully.  I  lost 
five  thousand  marks — four  thousand  to  the  Uhlan, 
on  whom  I  wanted  to  take  my  revenge.  I  must 
pay  this  four  thousand  marks  by  to-morrow 
morning,  otherwise  I  must  leave  the  army.  I 
do  not  know  where  to  get  the  money  from ; 
you  are  my  only  means  of  salvation.  You  have 
so  often  offered  me  money  that  I  feel  quite  sure 
you  will  not  now  leave  me  in  the  lurch. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  send 
the  money  along  by  your  servant  Fritz,  your 
man,  or  any  other  human  being  you  like.  I 
shall  stay  at  home  and  await  your  answer.  I 
thank  you  most  heartily  beforehand  for  once 
more  getting  me  out  of  a  terrible  scrape. — With 
sincere  regards,  yours  gratefully, 

"  F.  VON  WlLLBERG." 

Olga  folded  up  the  letter  and  returned  it  to  George. 
"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ?  " 
"  The  letter  is  simply  a  model,"  she  opined, 
"  short,   polite,   and  childishly  naive.    *  I  have 
been    gambling,    please    pay    my    debts.    The 
man  writes  with  a  nonchalance  and  a  coolness 
as  if  he  asked  you  to  take  a  glass  of  wine  with 
him.    Willberg  is  simply  delicious." 

143 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  Yes,  you  are  not  far  wrong,"  said  George, 
who  felt  somewhat  hurt  by  the  tone  of  the 
letter.  "  A  young  lieutenant,  who  has  nothing 
in  the  world  to  call  his  own  but  an  allowance  of 
a  few  pounds,  sits  down  with  the  greatest  con- 
fidence at  the  card-table  and  gambles  away  a 
£50  bank-note,  one  after  the  other.  When  he 
has  come  to  the  end  of  his  ready  money  he  plays 
for  credit,  and  when  the  game  is  over  and  he  is 
deeply  involved,  he  sits  down  calmly  and  writes 
to  his  friends  and  acquaintances :  '  Please  be 
so  good  as  to  pay  my  debts.'  And  if  he  knows 
that  he  can  get  no  help  from  these  sources, 
because  he  has  already  exhausted  them,  then 
he  applies  to  any  rich  man  whom  perhaps  he  has 
only  met  twice  in  his  life,  and  borrows  from  him 
with  a  naivete  and  a  shamelessness  that  is  inimit- 
able. He  knows  quite  well  that  he  must  get  the 
money  somewhere.  If  matters  do  not  go  so 
smoothly  as  he  anticipated,  he  becomes  melo- 
dramatic, talks  about  leaving  the  regiment, 
abandoning  the  army,  Courts  of  Honour,  a 
bullet  through  his  head,  and  such  things.  And 
there  are  very  few  people  who  are  not  moved 
when  it  is  a  question  of  saving,  as  they  say, 
a  young  and  promising  human  life — which  in 
most  cases  is  not  worth  the  value  of  the  bullet. 
And  so  they  put  their  hands  in  their  pocket 
and  give  the  lieutenant  what  he  needs  to  set 
him  on  his  legs  again  and  be  once  more  an 


MILITARY  MORALS 

'  honourable '  man.  I  do  not  know  if  you  will 
understand  what  I  am  going  to  say,  Olga,  but  the 
greatest  misfortune  for  our  lieutenants  is — I 
do  not  say  our  officers,  but  only  our  lieutenants 
— that  on  account  of  their  uniform  and  position 
they  can  get  credit  everywhere.  Many  educated, 
or  only  half-educated,  rich  people  who  glady 
entertain  the  officers,  so  that  they  may  be  con- 
sidered in  '  Society,'  constantly  press  their 
assistance  upon  these  lieutenants  just  on  the 
chance  of  their  getting  into  difficulties.  The 
lieutenant  sees  it  all  quite  clearly ;  he  says  to 
hirmelf :  '  I  get  into  debt,  somebody  else  will 
pay.'  And  our  lieutenants  will  remain  as  they 
are,  and  will  never  alter  until  they  are  no  longer 
given  credit ;  he  will  only  change  when  people 
are  no  longer  foolish  enough  to  lend  money 
to  every  lieutenant  who  wants  it." 

"  And  do  you  suppose  that  day  will  come  ?  " 

"  It  will  come  when  the  world  ceases  to  see 
in  every  man  who  wears  a  uniform  a  marvellous 
creature." 

"  Then  that  will  be  never." 

"  I  almost  believe  you  are  right,"  he  agreed 
with  her  ;  and  then,  becoming  even  more  serious, 
he  went  on  :  "  You  know  it's  very  hard  on  our 
lieutenants,  for,  au  fond,  there  is  good  stuff  in 
them,  but  they  get  frightfully  spoiled  and  petted. 
Officers  are  forbidden  to  contract  debts  just  as 
they  are  forbidden  to  gamble ;  but  nobody 

145 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

troubles  in  the  least  about  these  prohibitions, 
which  are  known,  not  only  to  the  officers  them- 
selves, but  to  everybody  in  Society  and  to  the 
tradesmen.  But,  just  as  in  a  club  a  civilian 
would  never  dream  of  saying  to  a  lieutenant, 
'  Sir,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  discourteous,  but  I 
know  that  His  Majesty  has  forbidden  the  officers 
to  play  cards,'  so  no  tradesman  would  think 
of  saying  to  a  lieutenant,  '  I  am  not  allowed  to 
give  you  goods  on  credit ;  I  know  you  are  not 
allowed  to  contract  debts.'  The  lieutenant  alone 
is  not  to  blame.  Society  and  the  tradesman, 
who  not  only  make  it  possible  for  him  to  evade 
the  law,  but  also  help  him  to  do  it  quite  easily, 
and  even  lead  him  into  doing  so  are  largely 
responsible  for  the  fact  that  our  officers  of  to-day, 
in  regard  to  manners  and  morals,  are  no  longer 
what  they  once  were  and  what  they  will  have 
to  be  again."  And  then,  half-seriously,  half- 
laughingly,  he  concluded,  "  Did  you  understand 
all  I  was  talking  about,  you  dear  little  duffer  ?  " 
"  Every  word,  and  you  are  quite  right." 
"  I  only  wish  that  other  people  would  think 
so  too,"  he  said,  somewhat  amused ;  "  but  I 
believe  that  if  one  of  the  '  Golden  Butterflies ' 
had  heard  my  remarks  he  would  have  said 
I  was  out  of  my  mind,  summoned  me  before  a 
Court  of  Honour  on  account  of  my  seditious 
words,  and  then  I  should  have  been  asked, 
*  If  you  think  like  this,  why  did  you  become 

146 


MILITARY  MORALS 

an  officer  ?  '  I  could  only  answer,  '  When  a 
man  enters  upon  a  career  he  knows  nothing 
about  it.  Indeed,  he  can  know  nothing  about 
it.  The  knowledge  of  what  it  means  to  be 
an  officer  only  comes  with  the  course  of  years.' 
I  have  had  my  apprenticeship.  I  have  gone 
through  the  world  with  fairly  wide-open  eyes, 
and  have  kept  my  ears  on  the  alert,  and  I  must 
say  that  had  I  known  earlier  what  it  was  like 
among  our  officers,  had  I  had  the  faintest  con- 
ception of  their  behaviour,  of  the  way  in  which 
they  ran  up  debts,  of  the  discontent  with  military 
matters,  the  bitterness  and  hatred  against  the 
authorities,  the  poverty  and  the  misery,  I  should 
have  thought  twice  before  donning  a  uniform." 

"  But  why  do  you  keep  it  on  ?  " 

George  gazed  at  the  clouds  of  smoke  for  a 
little  while,  then  he  asked  her,  "  Are  you  quite 
sure,  my  dear  child,  you  are  not  really  bored 
with  all  this  discussion  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  she  cried  out  quickly ;  "I 
could  lie  here  for  hours  and  listen  to  you." 

"  Very  well  then,  I  will  answer  your  question, 
which  I  have  been  thinking  about  for  a  long 
time,  much  longer  than  anyone  would  believe. 
The  reason  why  I  still  wear  the  officer's  uniform 
is,  in  my  case,  short  and  to  the  point — pride." 

"  Pride  1  "   she   asked   with   astonishment. 

"  You  know,  of  course,  how  I  have  been 
treated  in  the  regiment.  I  have  never  made 

147 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

the  least  mystery  about  it  to  you.  If  I  were 
to  take  off  my  uniform  now,  the  '  Golden  Butter- 
flies '  would  have  attained  the  object  they  had 
desired  from  the  very  first — they  would  have 
got  rid  of  me,  they  would  again  be  among  them- 
selves ;  their  aristocratic  society  would  be  again 
without  spot  or  blemish.  I  am  not  going  to 
give  them  that  triumph,  which  would  mean 
defeat  for  me.  I  am  not  a  fighter,  but  I  have 
my  ambition  and  my  honourable  feelings,  and 
I  intend  to  see  if  I  cannot  make  a  proper  position 
for  myself  in  the  regiment.  How  often  do  I  not 
long  for  a  chance  of  distinguishing  myself  in 
some  way  or  other,  of  doing  something  out  of 
the  ordinary — but  in  vain.  So  I  must  try  to 
win  a  position  by  scrupulous  fulfilment  of  my 
military  duties,  diligence  and  reliability.  Do 
you  imagine  I  have  a  pleasant  life  here  ?  I  am 
young,  I  am  rich,  and  though  I  am  no  spend- 
thrift, still  I  should  like  to  enjoy  my  youth  a 
little  more  than  I  do.  I  should  like  to  live  on 
a  bigger  scale,  keep  horses,  and  carriages,  and 
servants,  go  travelling  about,  and  so  on.  I 
know  perfectly  well  what  I  should  do,  but  I 
simply  dare  not.  If  the  adjutant  of  the  regiment, 
Count  Wettborn,  did  all  this,  the  officers  would 
be  proud  of  the  nobleman  who  knew  how  to 
represent  them  in  so  splendid  a  fashion :  every- 
body would  be  delighted  that  he  had  the  means 
of  living  in  a  manner  so  suitable  to  his  rank. 

148 


MILITARY  MORALS 

They  would  praise  the  aristocrat ;  they  would 
find  fault  with  me.  If  I  lived  in  grand  style, 
only  one  word  would  be  applied  to  me — snob. 
And  short  work  is  always  made  with  a  snob. 
He  is  not  wanted  in  a  regiment  in  which  the 
other  officers  are  supposed  to  live  economically, 
but  who,  in  reality,  are  over  head  and  ears  in 
debt.  My  so-called  ostentation  and  snobbery 
would  be  an  excellent  reason  for  getting  rid  of 
me,  and  I  don't  want  that.  I  do  not  myself 
believe  that  my  life  as  a  lieutenant  will  be  a 
long  one ;  but  whenever  I  do  go,  I  shall  be  able 
to  tell  myself  and  the  others  why  I  am  going.  / 
shall  hold  my  head  high,  but  they  will  be  covered 
with  shame,  if,  indeed,  they  are  capable  of 
feeling  shame." 

Olga  saw  the  deep  furrows  on  his  brow,  and 
she  noticed  his  intense  emotion. 

"  George,"  she  begged  in  a  gentle  voice,  "  come 
here  to  me,  let  me  kiss  you,  do  not  get  so  angry 
about  these  officers." 

"  My  darling,  it  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  talk 
— not  get  angry  indeed  !  To-day  seems  specially 
appointed  for  the  revelation  of  all  kinds  of  things 
which  have  hitherto  been  kept  silent.  I  may 
as  well  tell  you,  therefore,  that  I  surfer  fright- 
fully in  my  present  surroundings,  yet  I  am 
conscious  of  no  other  fault  but  that  of  belonging 
to  the  middle-class.  If,  indeed,  these  aristocratic 
gentlemen  were  free  from  all  faults  and  failings, 

149 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

if  they  were  really  superior  in  military  and  other 
duties,  if  the  officers  were  in  very  truth  what  they 
ought  to  be — an  example  of  chivalry  and  honour ; 
if  they  possessed  nobility,  not  only  of  birth 
but  of  feeling  and  disposition,  then  I  would  not 
hesitate  for  a  moment.  I  would  say  to  them 
frankly  and  freely :  '  I  feel  that  my  presence  is 
unwelcome  to  you.  From  the  modern  and 
enlightened  point  of  view  I  do  not  in  the  least 
understand  your  standpoint,  but  in  spite  of 
that  I  honour  you,  and  I  will  no  longer  be  an 
annoyance  to  you.'  But  consider  how  matters 
really  stand  ?  Of  course,  there  are  exceptions, 
honourable  exceptions  everywhere,  and  it  would 
indeed  be  sad  if  there  were  not  any  among  the 
nobility.  I  can  only  judge,  however,  by  what 
I  have  seen  myself,  and  I  must  say  that  in  their 
mode  of  life  and  interest  in  their  military  duties, 
the  most  aristocratic  officers  are  not  one  whit 
superior  to  my  bourgeois  comrades,  whom  they 
look  down  upon  with  such  contempt.  And 
what  a  protection  a  title  is  !  The  world,  which 
nowadays  is  more  or  less  democratic,  is  not  to 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  an  aristocrat  sentenced 
to  punishment,  the  people  are  not  to  be  given 
the  joy  of  saying :  '  After  all,  these  noblemen 
are  just  like  other  people.'  In  every  way  a 
nobleman  has  all  kinds  of  advantages,  not 
because  he  does  anything  particularly  wonderful, 
but  simply  because,  according  to  old  women's 

150 


MILITARY  MORALS 

tales,  he  is  something  wonderful,  And  one 
can  no  more  fight  against  this  than  against 
stupidity.  I  get  so  enraged  about  this,  that 
in  spite  of  my  uniform  I  am  almost  inclined  to 
be  a  social  democrat.  I  see  more  and  more 
how  the  middle-class  person  is  more  or  less 
regarded  as  a  creature  whose  only  justification 
for  existing  is  that  he  forms  the  dark  back- 
ground which  shows  up  the  nobleman  so  brilliantly 
and  gloriously." 

"  Good  gracious,  George,"  cried  out  Olga,  quite 
frightened,  "  I  don't  know  you  when  you  are 
in  this  mood ;  I  have  never  heard  you  speak, 
boy,  so  bitterly  before." 

"  I  am  not  bitter  now,  I  assure  you.  What 
I  told  you  was  not  said  on  the  spur  of  the  moment, 
but  is  the  result  of  much  thought  and  mature 
and  keen  observation.  But  now  let  us  stop 
speaking  about  these  serious  things.  I  will 
just  go  and  send  off  the  money  to  this  noble 
Willberg,  and  then,  my  darling,  I  am  entirely  at 
your  disposal." 

He  rose  from  his  seat  to  go  to  his  writing-desk, 
but  Olga  held  him  back.  "  Will  you  do  me  a 
favour,  George.  You  know  I  have  never  asked 
you  for  anything  important,  but  this  time  it  is. 
Will  you  grant  it  me  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  if  I  can.  Why  not  ?  I  am  very 
fond  of  you." 

"  And  I  am  very  fond  of  you  ;  it  is  just  because 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

of  that  I  ask  you  to  give  me  your  word  that  you 
will  do  what  I  want." 

"  My  darling,  how  can  I  do  such  a  thing  ? 
One  must  not  pledge  his  word  of  honour  lightly  ; 
you  know  perfectly  well  I  would  do  anything  for 
you  if  I  could.  Now  what  is  it  ?  " 

She  had  risen  from  her  reclining  position,  and 
looked  at  him  entreatingly,  her  eyes  dilating. 
She  was  quite  white  from  mental  excitement, 
and  her  voice  trembled  as  she  said :  "Do  me 
the  favour,  and  don't  send  the  money  to  Will- 
berg." 

He  regarded  her  with  intense  astonishment. 
"  Why  ever  not  ?  The  money  is  lying  idle  here, 
and  even  if  I  hadn't  it  myself  I  could  easily  get 
it.  I  have  constantly  offered  Willberg  my  help  ; 
I  must  certainly  give  it  him  now.  Besides,  it  is 
a  great  satisfaction  to  me,  as  you  will  understand, 
that  he  should  have  to  apply  to  me  again.  You 
don't  want  to  spoil  my  pleasure,  do  you  ?  " 

And  he  turned  to  go,  but  Olga  kept  him  back. 
"  George,  give  your  money  to  whomsoever  you 
like — do  with  it  whatever  you  like — it  is  no 
concern  of  mine,  but  you  must  not  help  Will- 
berg.  Do  you  understand  ?  you  ought  not  to 
help  him  !  " 

She  spoke  with  such  resolution  and  determina- 
tion that  he  went  up  to  her  and  seized  her  hand  ; 
he  noticed  how  she  trembled,  and  a  feeling  of 
nervous  excitement  took  possession  of  him. 

152 


MILITARY  MORALS 

"  Olga,  you  are  keeping  silent  about  some- 
thing ;  you  must  have  reasons  which  you  are 
concealing  from  me,  but  I  insist  on  knowing 
everything.  When  you  ask  me  not  to  help  Will- 
berg,  and  tell  me  that  I  ought  not  to  help  him, 
you  must  also  tell  me  the  reason  why." 

She  looked  at  him  with  an  expression  of  pro- 
found love.  "  Do  not  ask  me,  do  not  torture 
me,  I  cannot  tell  you." 

"  And  what  if  I  insist  ?  "  He  also  had  become 
deadly  pale,  and  he  held  her  hand  in  an  iron 
grip.  "  I  insist  upon  knowing — do  you  under- 
stand ?  You  must  not  utter  a  half  complaint, 
but  you  must  have  the  courage  to  tell  the  whole 
truth.  I  have  always  considered  you  an  honour- 
able, faithful  and  upright  person — don't  show 
me  I  have  made  a  mistake." 

A  mighty  conflict  raged  within  her  as  she  stood 
by  him ;  her  eyes  were  cast  down,  her  whole 
body  trembled,  and  she  was  swayed  and  tossed 
about  by  terrible  mental  struggles.  Then  she 
raised  her  eyes  and  looked  at  him  frankly  and 
openty.  "  Very  well,  then,  you  shall  know  all, 
but  only  on  one  condition." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  " 

"  That  you  give  me  your  word  of  honour  not 
to  tell  Willberg  a  word  of  what  I  am  going  to 
tell  you.  There  is  no  reason  why  you  should 
not  do  that." 

He  regarded  her  doubtfully.  "  Is  that  really  so  ?  " 

153 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

Then  she  looked  him  straight  in  the  face.  "  Yes, 
but,  in  spite  of  this,  if  you  are  ever  in  a  situation 
when  you  can  no  longer  keep  your  promise, 
then  I  will  release  you  after  eight  days — no 
more  nor  less ;  till  then,  you  can.  quietly  think 
over  what  I  have  to  say  to  you."  And  after  a 
little  while  she  asked  him,  in  a  hesitating  tone 
of  voice,  "  Do  you  really  insist  that  I  am  to  tell 
you  everything,  when  the  result  may  be  that 
we  separate,  and  are  never  more  friends  ?  " 

A  dark  suspicion  arose  in  his  mind.  '  You 
were  once  on  intimate  terms  with  Willberg  ?  " 
he  asked  with  excitement,  but  then,  more  calmly, 
he  went  on :  "  But  I  could  not  very  well  be 
angry  with  you  about  that,  for  you  could  not 
have  possibly  known  then  that  we  should  ever 
have  met." 

Olga  bit  her  lips  in  fury.  "  I  know  that  only 
too  well.  I  told  you  that  the  villain  who  betrayed 
me  took  his  life  soon  after.  That  was  not  true ; 
he  is  still  living,  and  his  name  is  Willberg." 

George  fell  back  as  if  he  had  been  struck, 
then  he  sprang  up  and  seized  Olga  by  the  shoulders. 
"  Tell  me,  it  is  not  true — it  cannot  be  true." 

She  freed  herself  from  his  grasp.  "  Come, 
George,  be  reasonable ;  what  has  happened 
cannot  be  altered  now." 

He  sank  into  a  chair  and  buried  his  face  in 
his  hands.  "  What  a  blackguard !  "  he  said, 
gnashing  his  teeth,  "  what  a  blackguard !  " 

154 


MILITARY  MORALS 

And  suddenly  springing  up,  he  demanded : 
"  Swear  on  your  oath — have  you  still  any  con- 
nection with  him,  or  does  he  know  that  we  are 
intimate  ?  " 

"  I  am  perfectly  faithful  to  you,"  she  answered 
him  calmly,  and  he  knew  from  the  tone  of  her 
voice  that  she  was  speaking  the  truth.  "  I  have 
only  seen  Willberg  once  since." 

"  And  when  was  that  ?  "  he  asked,  with  great 
excitement. 

"  On  the  very  day  that  I  met  you  for  the  first 
time.  He  sent  me  a  letter,  saying  he  must  see 
me  without  fail  on  a  matter  that  concerned  my 
own  interests.  At  first  I  did  not  mean  to  answer 
him,  but  when  I  read  the  letter  again,  I  felt  sure 
that  it  really  was  a  matter  of  serious  importance. 
So  I  named  an  hour  when  I  would  be  at  home 
to  him.  And  he  came." 

"Go  on,"  urged  George,  as  she  was  silent  for 
a  moment.  "  What  did  this  honourable  gentle- 
man want  with  you  ?  " 

"  He  said  he  had  quite  by  chance  seen  us 
together  one  evening,  and  had  followed  us  un- 
observed— I  had  no  ground  for  denying  my 
acquaintanceship  with  you;  indeed,  I  could  not, 
in  view  of  what  he  had  seen — and  he  entreated 
me  most  imploringly  not  to  mention  his  name 
to  you.  I  had  never  intended  to  do  so,  and 
had  formerly  made  up  my  mind  to  be  silent 
concerning  his  name,  but,  in  spite  of  that,  I 

155 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

appeared  as  if  I  were  greatly  astonished,  and 
asked  why  he  made  such  a  request  ?  " 

"  And  what  did  he  answer  ?  " 

"  He  said  that  he  must  admit  that  he  had 
not  treated  me  quite  fairly  that  night." 

"  '  Quite  fairly  ' — that  is  splendid  !  "  sneered 
George. 

"  He  knew  that  he  ought  to  have  given  me 
some  compensation,  but  he  was  not  then  in  a 
position  to  do  anything  for  me.  Now  he  offered 
me  one  thousand  marks,  partly  as  hush-money 
for  the  future." 

"  Did  you  take  the  money  ?  " 

"  Before  his  very  eyes  I  threw  it  into  the 
blazing  fire,  and  rejoiced  in  his  look  of  horror. 
After  that  he  returned  to  the  object  of  his  visit. 
He  begged  me  not  to  tell  you  what  had  happened. 
He  and  you  were  in  the  same  regiment,  I  ought 
not  disturb  the  friendship  which  existed  between 
you.  Probably  you  would  not  think  he  had 
acted  quite  rightly  (so  he  said),  it  might  lead 
to  a  quarrel.  Such  a  thing  is  very  disagreeable, 
especially  in  a  proud  and  distinguished  regiment, 
which,  more  than  all  others,  must  preserve  out- 
ward appearances.  And,  besides,  you  could  not 
fight  a  duel  on  my  behalf.  To  cut  the  story 
short,  I  don't  remember  what  else  he  said ;  I 
listened  to  him  without  answering  a  word,  and 
the  longer  I  was  silent  the  more  humble  and 
pitiable  he  became,  till  at  last  he  stood  before 

156 


MILITARY  MORALS 

me  like  a  schoolboy  who  has  been  severely  rebuked. 
He  fell  on  his  knees,  begged  my  pardon,  and 
entreated  me  to  keep  silence ;  it  was  then  that 
I  promised  never  to  mention  his  name  to  you. 
To-day  I  have  given  his  name,  but  I  was  com- 
pelled. It  is  your  fault,  not  mine,  for  I  spoke 
on  your  account.  You  may  be  sure  I  don't 
want  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  you  because  of  him." 
Suddenly  she  was  overcome  with  anguish  that 
now  she  would  be  repulsive  and  hateful  in  his 
sight ;  she  sprang  towards  him  and  fell  on  her 
knees.  "  George,  tell  me  you  still  love  me,  that 
you  will  not  send  me  away — it  was  not  my  fault." 

He  bent  over  her  and  kissed  her  on  the  forehead. 

"  Get  up,  dear,  why  should  I  be  angry  with 
you,  indeed  ?  How  could  I  hold  you  responsible 
for  what  a  villain  did,  and  it's  not  your  fault 
that  his  name  is  Willberg  ?  But  he  shall  answer 
for  what  he  has  done." 

"  He  must  not  do  that,"  cried  Olga ;  "  you 
have  given  me  your  word  to  tell  him  nothing 
about  it,  and  you  will  keep  it,  for  I  do  not  believe 
that  any  occasion  will  arise  to  make  me  absolve 
you  from  your  promise." 

He  sank  into  a  chair  and  looked  gloomily  in 
front  of  him.  Had  he  the  slightest  ground  for 
proceeding  against  Willberg  ?  He  might  of 
course  say  to  him :  "I  know  a  young  girl,  and 
am  aware  that  you  have  treated  her  like  a  black- 
guard." Willberg  could  not  possibly  allow  this 

157 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

insult  to  pass  unnoticed ;  there  would  be,  at 
the  least,  a  quarrel,  probably  a  duel,  and,  as  a 
result,  an  investigation  by  a  Court  of  Honour. 
A  good  deal  of  dirt  would  be  thrown  about, 
but  what  would  be  the  use  of  that  ?  Willberg 
would  most  likely  be  dismissed  from  the  army, 
and  what  then  ?  What  advantage  would  that 
be  to  anybody  ?  There  would  be  one  less  dis- 
honourable man  in  the  army  certainly,  but  who 
would  have  to  bear  the  consequences  of  that  ? 
Only  George,  for  he  would  never  be  pardoned 
for  having  acted  so  harshly  towards  the  darling 
of  the  regiment.  Willberg  after  his  dismissal 
would  still  find  faithful  friends  enough  who  would 
help  him.  He  would  not  suffer  too  excessively 
in  no  longer  wearing  officer's  uniform.  No, 
George  could  take  no  steps  against  him,  he  had 
no  case  against  him ;  he  was  obliged  to  admit 
to  himself  that  personally  Willberg  had  done 
him  no  harm,  no  injury,  and  if  he  stepped  in  on 
behalf  of  Olga's  honour,  the  town  and  the  world 
would  shake  their  heads,  and  the  colonel  would 
make  it  quite  clear  to  him  that  men  do  not  fight 
a  duel  on  account  of  a  young  woman  like  Olga. 
She  was  certainly  an  excellent,  worthy  young 
woman,  she  was  under  a  talented  actress,  but 
still — in  imagination  George  heard  their  remarks, 
and  he  doubled  up  his  fists  in  a  fury  of  rage. 
Then  another  thought  occurred  to  him.  What 
would  his  parents,  what  would  Hildegarde  say, 

158 


MILITARY  MORALS 

when  they  learnt  that  he  had  fought  a  duel  for 
the  sake  of  his  mistress  ?  They  must  not  know 
anything  whatever  about  the  matter. 

For  nearly  five  minutes  George  sat  deeply 
immersed  in  thought,  and  Olga  watched  his 
expression  with  intense  anxiety  :  her  reputation, 
her  career,  were  at  stake.  What  had  taken 
place  between  her  and  Willberg  was  known 
only  to  themselves  and  George ;  she  had  told  no 
one  about  it ;  she  had  never  mentioned  the 
name  of  her  betrayer.  If  George  thought  the 
affair  ought  not  to  rest  with  him,  and  that  he 
ought  to  inform  the  Court  of  Honour  concern- 
ing it,  then  she  would  be  forced  to  absolve  him 
from  his  promise,  and  the  whole  town  would 
learn  in  a  few  days  what  up  till  to-day  was  a 
secret.  She  would  not  be  able  to  remain  in 
Berlin ;  she  felt  that  she  could  never  again  face 
an  audience  who  knew  how  she  had  been  treated. 

"  Well,  George,"  she  said  at  last,  "  have  you 
yet  made  up  your  mind  what  you  are  going  to 
do?" 

"  Yes,"  he  answered  firmly,  "  the  blackguard 
deserves  to  be  struck  hi  the  face,  but  I  shall  not 
do  that ;  I  shall  not  say  a  word  of  what  you  have 
told  me  to  anyone,  not  even  to  him,  however 
difficult  it  may  be  for  me.  But  I  am  obliged 
to  act  thus  on  your  account,  for  I  care  too  much 
about  you  to  expose  you  to  public  discussion, 
public  gossip,  and  probably  to  universal  con- 

159 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

demnation,  for  the  world  must  have  suddenly 
changed  if  in  spite  of  everything  it  does  not 
hold  you  to  blame.  But  as  I  have  just  said,  I 
will  not  do  so,  and  so  there's  an  end  of  the  matter." 

She  clung  to  him  and  put  her  arm  round  his 
neck. 

"  Thank  you,  George." 

He  led  her  to  the  chaise  longue  and  sat  down 
by  her  side.  "  Good  God,  what  filth  !  There 
is  just  one  thing  I  should  like  to  know.  Do 
you  happen  to  remember  the  day — I  mean  the 
date  when  this — this — creature  came  to  you 
and  entreated  you  to  keep  silence  ?  " 

"  How  could  I  not  remember  it  ?  "  she  said 
teasingly,  trying  to  restore  him  to  a  happier 
frame  of  mind :  "  don't  you  know  I  just  told 
you  it  was  the  day  after  I  first  met  you.  Surely, 
George,  you  have  not  forgotten  that  /  " 

He  knitted  his  brow.  "  Don't  be  vexed, 
Olga,  but  my  brain  is  in  such  a  whirl  just  now 
that  I  simply  can't  remember  a  thing." 

She  took  from  her  finger  a  diamond  ring  which 
he  had  given  her  in  remembrance  of  their  first 
meeting,  on  which  the  date  was  engraved.  Then 
she  handed  it  to  him. 

"  Yes,  of  course,  how  could  I  have  forgotten 
it ! "  He  was  suddenly  thoughtful,  and  then 
he  jumped  up  with  a  start. 

"  What  is  the  matter  now  ? "  she  asked, 
frightened. 

160 


MILITARY  MORALS 

"  Nothing,  nothing,"  he  assured  her  ;  "  I 
just  remembered  that  when  Willberg  came  to 
me  for  the  first  time  to  borrow  money,  he  must 
have  known  of  our  relations.  He  had  seen 
you,  and  yet  he  had  the  audacity  to  come  to 
me.  Now  it's  all  clear  to  me  ;  now  I  understand 
why  he  begged  me  so  urgently  not  to  say  a 
word  to  anyone ;  he  feared  that  perhaps  I 
would  tell  you,  and  that  then  it  would  come 
out  how  he  had  treated  you.  Of  course,  that 
was  it !  " 

He  strode  up  and  down  the  room,  occupied 
with  his  own  thoughts. 

"  George,"  Olga  begged  ;  "do  me  the  favour 
of  writing  a  few  words  to  Willberg.  Tell  him 
you  cannot  give  him  the  money,  and  then  forget 
the  hateful  story." 

George  stood  still.  "  You  are  right ;  Will- 
berg is  waiting  for  news.  I  forgot  all  about 
that ;  and  the  forms  of  politeness  must  be  pre- 
served, however  difficult  it  may  be." 

He  wrote  a  few  lines,  in  which  he  regretted  that 
he  was  not  at  the  moment  able  to  place  the 
money  desired  at  his  friend's  disposal,  and  then 
he  sent  his  servant  with  the  note, 

"  One  thing  worries  me,"  said  George  :  "I 
do  not  know  if  I  have  enough  self-control  and 
strength  of  mind  to  meet  Willberg  calmly  to- 
morrow and  act  as  if  I  was  not  aware  of  his 
shameful  behaviour." 

"  Can't  you  keep  out  of  his  way.    He  is  in 

161 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

another  company,  I  know,  and  is  he  not  in  a 
different  battalion  ?  " 

"  That  is  so,  but  of  course  I  meet  him  at  mess, 
and  even  if  I  do  not  meet  him  to-morrow  I  shall 
have  to  the  next  day,  for  we  may  not  absent 
ourselves  from  the  mess  dinner  for  more  than 
two  days  without  an  adequate  reason.  I  fear 
that  my  blood  may  not  be  sufficiently  cool  by 
then." 

Olga  thought  for  a  moment,  then  she  asked : 
"  Cannot  you  get  leave  of  absence  ?  I  should  of 
course  be  very  sorry  not  to  see  you  for  a  week  or 
a  fortnight,  but  a  holiday  would  do  you  good  ; 
you  would  enjoy  yourself  and  have  a  change  of 
thought.  You  could  easily  get  leave,  I  should 
think." 

"  That  is  so,"  he  agreed,  "  there  is  not  much 
doing  just  at  present,  and  they  could  not  refuse 
me  leave  of  absence,  but  where  should  I  go  ? 
Home  ?  I  don't  want  to  see  my  father  and  mother 
just  now.  I  could  not  be  light-hearted  and 
gay,  and  they  would  notice  that  something 
depressed  me ;  my  coming  would  upset  them 
instead  of  delighting  them." 

"  I  know,"  cried  Olga  suddenly :  "  You  said 
just  now  you  would  like  to  enjoy  your  life.  Go 
for  a  fortnight  to  Paris,  to  Monte  Carlo,  or  any- 
where else  where  it  is  delightful,  and  when  you 
see  beautiful  women,  give  them  my  greeting, 
and  tell  them  they  are  to  be  good  and  kind  to 
you  ;  I  shall  not  be  jealous."  And  then  with  a 

162 


MILITARY  MORALS 

roguish  laugh  she  added :  "  You  know  you  will 
not  remain  faithful  to  me." 

"  I  shall,"  he  said  firmly. 

"  No,  no,"  she  answered  laughingly.  "  I  wager 
anything  you  won't." 

"  But  I  shall  have  no  chance  of  being  un- 
faithful to  you." 

She  looked  at  him  astonished.  "  How  do 
you  mean  ?  For  what  reason  ?  " 

"  For  the  simplest  of  all  reasons — you  will 
come  with  me." 

"  George  !  "  Laughing  and  crying  with  joy, 
she  flung  her  arms  round  his  neck.  "  You  will 
take  me  with  you  ?  I  shall  see  Paris  or  some 
other  beautiful  town  ?  George,  you  are  really 
too  good  and  kind,"  and  she  kissed  him  again 
and  again.  Suddenly  she  stopped. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  go  with  you." 

"  Why  ever  not  ?  " 

'  You  shall  not  be  able  to  say  that  I  persuaded 
you  into  taking  a  holiday  for  my  own  advantage  ; 
besides,  I  do  not  know  if  I  can  get  permission 
to  go." 

"  The  first  reason  is  absurd,"  he  said.  "  I 
am  not  so  sure  if  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  come 
with  me,  but  you  give  me  great  happiness  by 
your  company.  Nothing  is  more  unpleasant, 
at  least  to  me,  than  to  travel  alone,  to  sit  in 
a  carriage  by  oneself,  to  have  meals  alone,  to 
wander  through  the  museums  and  galleries  alone, 

163 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

and  to  have  no  one  with  whom  one  can  discuss 
things.  There  will  be  no  difficulty  about  getting 
permission ;  just  now  you  are  not  very  busy 
at  the  theatre." 

"  Yes,  but — the  repertoire  may  be  changed 
any  day." 

"  Dear  child,"  he  assured  her,  "  your  director 
is  not  a  brute.  To-morrow  ask  him  to  give 
you  leave  of  absence,  and  if  he  makes  any  diffi- 
culties tell  him  you  are  prepared  to  pay  two  to 
three  thousand  marks'  compensation  if  he  will 
absolve  you  from  a  fortnight's  duty.  I  assure 
you  he  will  give  you  a  holiday  for  as  long  as 
you  like." 

She  seized  hold  of  his  hand  and  kissed  it 
gratefully.  "  How  dear  and  kind  you  are. 
Do  you  mean  you  will  pay  so  much  money  to 
free  me  from  my  engagement  ?  But  I  can  tell 
you  I  shall  first  offer  five  hundred  marks,  then 
another  five  hundred,  and  so  on,  but  under  no 
circumstances  will  I  give  more  than  two 
thousand." 

He  laughed  gaily.  '  You  can  do  as  you  like 
as  regards  that.  I  will  give  you  the  money  at 
once.  Whatever  you  have  over  belongs  to  you, 
of  course." 

She  clapped  her  hands  with  joy.  "  I  shall 
buy  a  very  elegant  travelling  costume  with  it." 

'  Don't  do  it,  darling,"  he  requested.  "  What- 
ever you  need  in  the  way  of  dresses  I  will  buy 
you  in  Paris.  During  all  the  time  that  I  have 

164 


MILITARY  MORALS 

been  a  lieutenant  I  have  never  spent  half  my 
allowance,  and  so  it  has  gone  on  accumulating. 
Now  I  can  spend  a  large  sum  of  money  without 
any  conscientious  scruples." 

"  Shall  we  really  go  to  Paris  ?  "  she  asked, 
with  beaming  eyes. 

"  If  all  goes  well,  to-morrow  evening.  We 
will  take  my  man  with  us.  I  can  rely  absolutely 
on  his  silence.  You  will  get  in  at  the  North 
Station,  I  at  the  South.  I  will  carefully  examine 
the  train  to  see  if  any  of  my  acquaintances  are 
in  it,  and  I  will  have  a  carriage  reserved  for  us, 
so  that  we  may  travel  in  state.  And  if  anybody 
sees  us  together  later  on,  what  does  it  matter  ? 
And,  besides,  who  knows  us  in  Paris  ?  " 

"  Have  you  ever  been  there  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

He  began  to  tell  of  the  beauties  and  charms 
of  Paris,  and,  tenderly  clinging  to  him,  she 
listened  to  his  description  of  the  delights  which 
she  was  to  enjoy  with  him. 


165 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

HILDEGARDE'S  father  was  about  to  celebrate 
his  sixtieth  birthday,  and  the  old  major  had 
expressed  a  wish  to  see  his  two  children  on  that 
day.  Fritz  had  naturally  made  use  of  this 
occasion  of  rejoicing  as  an  excuse  for  asking  the 
Warnows  to  lend  him  a  good  sum  for  travelling 
expenses ;  of  course  he  had  to  travel  first-class, 
and  take  his  man  with  him,  besides  which  he 
really  must  give  the  old  gentleman  a  nice  present 
for  his  birthday.  So  Captain  von  Warnow 
had  once  more  given  him  a  £50  note.  Fritz, 
thereupon,  had  naturally  tried  his  luck  at  cards, 
and  he  had  the  disgrace,  as  he  himself  called  it, 
of  winning  a  couple  of  hundred  pounds  from 
the  owner  of  an  estate  in  the  neighbourhood  ; 
this  did  not  often  happen  to  him  ;  he  beamed 
with  joy,  and  for  the  first  time  for  many  days 
he  found  once  more  that  life  was  still  endurable. 
Hildegarde  at  first  did  not  want  to  make  the 
journey,  she  felt  hurt  at  her  father's  letter,  in 
which  he  wrote  :  "  My  dear  child,  I  should,  of 
course,  be  immensely  delighted  to  se&  you,  but 

166 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

my  personal  wishes  must  not  be  considered  if 
there  is  anything  important  at  stake.  If  you 
cannot  come,  or  find  it  unwise  to  go  away  now 
for  a  few  days,  then  stay  where  you  are  and  strike 
while  the  iron  is  hot." 

She  did  not  want  to  go,  for  she  foresaw  exactly 
what  would  happen  at  home,  but  her  aunt  per- 
suaded her  to  take  the  journey.  Winkler  was 
on  furlough,  so  it  was  said,  at  Monte  Carlo  and 
on  the  Riviera,  he  was  not  returning  for  a  week. 
There  were  no  big  entertainments  before  then, 
and  in  any  case,  if  Winkler  were  away,  there 
would  be  no  object  in  going  to  them,  it  would 
only  mean  the  unnecessary  expense  of  new 
dresses.  She  had  no  desire  to  throw  away  her 
money  on  men  who  had  no  serious  intentions 
with  regard  to  her  niece.  And  there  was  also 
another  reason  why  Frau  von  Warnow  urged 
Hildegarde  to  go ;  she  wanted  to  be  alone  with 
her  husband  again  and  to  be  able  to  do  something 
else  during  the  week  but  worry  and  bother  about 
her  engagement.  She  was  thankful  that  George 
and  Hildegarde  would  be  away  at  the  same 
time.  In  a  week  they  would  both  be  back, 
and  it  was  to  be  hoped  that  the  matter  would 
soon  be  brought  to  a  happy  conclusion.  She 
felt  perfectly  satisfied  that  Lieutenant  Winkler 
was  deeply  interested  in  Hildegarde.  When 
George  had  announced  his  leave  of  absence  to 
her  husband  he  had  requested  most  earnestly 
to  be  remembered  to  his  wife  and  Hildegarde. 

167 


It  was  quite  irregular,  from  a  military  point  of 
view,  and  it  was  just  because  of  that  that  Frau 
von  Warnow  regarded  it  as  a  good  sign. 

So  Hildegarde  went  home.  She  went  by  a 
morning  train  and  her  parents  met  her  at  the 
station.  Fritz  was  expected  in  less  than  an  hour, 
and  so  they  stayed  at  the  station.  They  went 
into  the  restaurant  to  have  something  to  eat, 
for  Hildegarde  was  tired  and  hungry  from  the 
long  and  wearisome  journey  on  the  branch 
line. 

The  waiter  hastened  towards  them,  and  the 
proprietor  himself  came  forward  to  see  to  their 
orders.  The  major  as  an  officer,  and  more 
especially  as  a  baron,  was  one  of  the  great  people 
of  the  town  ;  he  was  indeed  the  only  actual 
baron  there,  although  there  were  a  few  more 
or  less  old  "  Vons,"  and  thus  he  played  an  im- 
portant role  in  the  little  town,  although  his 
financial  position  was  well  known. 

The  major  was  the  type  of  the  retired  military 
man,  of  medium  size,  well-built,  a  somewhat 
red  face  and  enormous  moustaches.  His  wife 
was  still  an  extremely  nice-looking  woman,  and 
one  could  see  that  in  her  youth  she  must  have 
been  really  beautiful. 

They  chattered  about  matters  of  indifference 
till  the  meal  was  served,  but  Hildegarde  noticed 
only  too  clearly  how  impatient  her  parents  were 
to  hear  something  about  her  prospective  engage- 
ment ;  she  tried  to  avoid  a  conversation  on  the 

168 


subject,  but  was  unsuccessful.  Scarcely  had 
the  waiter  brought  in  the  meal,  and  been  given 
the  order  not  to  come  back  till  they  rang  for  him, 
when  they  both  drew  their  chairs  near  to  Hilde- 
garde.  "  Now,  dear  child,  tell  us  all  about  it. 
Relieve  us  of  a  great  anxiety.  How  do  matters 
stand  with  you  ?  " 

Hildegarde  parried  the  question  ;  what  could 
she  really  say  ?  It  was  certainly  very  likely 
that  George,  when  he  had  got  to  know  her  better, 
would  one  day  ask  for  her  hand  in  marriage, 
and  that  was  the  only  thing  she  could  say.  But 
she  read  in  her  parents'  faces  such  fear,  and 
yet  such  hope,  that  she  had  not  the  heart  to  de- 
prive them  of  their  joy.  Suddenly  she  thought 
of  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  She  briefly 
referred  to  George,  and  then  spoke  at  length 
concerning  another  very  rich  man  who  had  lately 
paid  her  an  immense  amount  of  attention. 

"  But,  dear  child,  your  aunt  has  never  told 
me  a  word  about  this,  and  she  always  keeps  me 
informed  as  to  the  admirer  of  the  hour." 

"Oh,  that  is  what  she  does,"  thought  Hilde- 
garde. Then  she  said :  "  Mamma,  I  don't 
want  you  to  write  to  aunt  about  this ;  oddly 
enough  she  hasn't  noticed  this  gentleman's 
attentions  to  me,  and  I  did  not  tell  her  anything 
about  it.  You  know  what  aunt  is  ;  she  means 
to  do  the  very  best  for  me,  and  in  her  efforts 
to  help  me,  perhaps  she  goes  too  far  and  spoils 
things." 

169 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  And  what  is  his  name  ?  What  is  he  ?  " 
inquired  her  mother. 

Hildegarde  blushed  scarlet.  "  Please  do  not 
ask  me ;  I  don't  want  to  talk  about  it  while 
the  thing  is  still  so  uncertain." 

"  Quite  right,  my  child,"  commended  the 
major,  "  one  ought  not  to  talk  about  things  until 
they  are  settled  "  ;  and  turning  to  his  wife  he 
continued,  "  Do  not  press  Hildegarde  any  more. 
If  she  does  not  want  to  talk  about  it  you  may 
be  sure  she  has  good  reasons."  Then  he  shook 
hands  with  his  daughter.  "  Thank  you,  dear 
Hilda,  that  in  honour  of  this  day  you  give  me  this 
•pleasure  ;  two  celebrations  instead  of  one.  Ah,  it 
will  probably  soon  be  all  settled  "  ;  and  then  he 
added,  with  a  deep  sigh,  "  But  it's  high  time,  I  can 
tell  you,  Hilda,  I  could  not  hold  out  much  longer." 

Her  mother  also  sighed  and  said  gently  : 

"  Hilda,  you  have  no  idea  what  terrible  times 
we  have  been  through  while  you  were  in  Berlin. 
Just  think  of  it,  the  municipal  authorities  were 
about  to  issue  a  distress  warrant  for  the  taxes, 
and  your  father  had  to  strain  every  nerve  to  get 
an  adjournment." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  that  was  a  stiff  bit  of  work, 
I  can  tell  you,  and  if  I  had  not  been  able  to 
make  use  of  my  well-known  name,  God  knows 
the  fellow  would  have  seized  my  last  bit  of  furni- 
ture ;  those  people  have  no  mercy." 

"  None  to  the  common  people,  at  any  rate," 
Hildegarde  interposed. 

170 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

"  And  they  are  quite  right,"  affirmed  the 
major ;  "  the  State  cannot  live  without  taxes, 
and  if  it  were  to  take  under  its  protection  every 
working  man  and  tradesman  who  is  behindhand 
with  his  taxes,  where  would  that  lead  to  ?  We 
should  soon  run  dry  and  have  no  money  for 
soldiers,  pensions  and  other  important  things. 
The  State  must  be  without  mercy,  and  if  it  makes 
an  exception  in  our  case  it  does  so  because  it 
knows  perfectly  well  that  it  can  do  so ;  an 
aristocrat  always  does  his  duty  towards  the 
State  and  his  fellow-creatures." 

Hildegarde  did  not  venture  to  contradict,  she 
could  not  indeed  do  so  without  convicting  her 
father  of  lying. 

The  major  had  finished  his  beer.  "  What  a 
miserable  drink  this  is  for  lunch,  it  makes  one 
feel  heavy  and  spoils  one's  appetite.  What  do 
you  say  to  our  celebrating  this  meeting  with 
half  a  bottle  of  champagne  ?  "  His  wife  had  no 
wish  to  do  so.  She  feared  the  expense ;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  she  knew  it  was  useless  to 
oppose  him,  and,  perhaps,  indeed  it  would  help 
to  raise  their  credit  a  little  if  the  proprietor  of 
the  restaurant  said  that  they  had  drunk  cham- 
pagne and  paid  for  it  in  cash.  So  she  agreed. 
'  Yes,  certainly,  but  please  let  it  be  French 
champagne/' 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  major ;  "  do  you 
suppose  I  would  celebrate  the  joyful  news 
that  Hilda  brings  us  with  miserable  frothy 

171 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

German  champagne  ?  "  and  he  called  to  the 
waiter. 

It  was  on  Hildegarde's  lips  to  say :  "  Spare 
your  money ;  you  have  no  occasion  to  rejoice 
in  what  I  have  just  told  you,  it  was  a  pure 
fabrication."  But  she  remained  silent.  Why 
should  she  worry  her  parents  ?  Perhaps  some- 
how or  other  a  miracle  would  happen  and  it 
would  all  come  right  in  the  end. 

"No,  bring  a  whole  bottle  of  Pommery," 
corrected  the  major ;  "  my  son  is  soon  coming, 
he  will  also  be  thirsty,  and  it's  not  worth  while 
beginning  with  half  a  bottle." 

The  wine  came,  the  glasses  clinked,  and  Hilde- 
garde  was  asked  to  tell  her  news  again.  "  Not 
here,"  she  begged  ;  "  there  is  no  more  uncom- 
fortable place  to  stay  in  than  a  waiting-room, 
and  especially  in  a  little  provincial  town." 

"  All  fancy,  my  dear  child,  all  fancy,"  her 
father  informed  her.  "  When  I  was  a  young 
lieutenant  I  was  once  stationed  at  a  miserable 
hole  which  Satan,  if  he  likes,  may  utterly  destroy  ; 
at  last  a  station  was  built,  and  day  after  day  we 
strolled  up  there  and  felt  as  jolly  and  as  comfort- 
able in  the  miserable  little  waiting-room  as  we 
had  never  felt  before.  If  we  had  not  had  that 
station,  and  had  not  been  able  to  go  to  the 
station  daily,  I  really  do  believe  we  could  not 
have  endured  the  life  for  long  ;  we  should  have 
gone  out  of  our  minds.  When  we  had  done  our 
daily  military  duty  the  day's  work  was  over 

172 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

for  us,  then  there  was  only  one  thing  to  be 
settled  :  when  and  how  were  we  to  go  to  bed  ? 
Should  we  go  early  and  sober,  or  late  and  drunk  ? 
Now  we  had  a  higher  object  in  life ;  we  must 
go  and  see  the  arrival  and  departure  of  the 
trains,  and  we  did  this  quite  as  conscientiously 
as  we  did  our  other  duties.  You  can't  imagine 
the  }oy  when  one  of  us  by  chance  discovered  an 
acquaintance  in  the  train ;  whether  he  liked 
it  or  not  he  was  hauled  out  of  the  carriage,  and 
if  we  could  not  do  it  otherwise  we  used  force. 
And  once  we  had  captured  a  guest,  with  much 
craft  and  cunning,  we  didn't  let  him  go  easily, 
I  can  assure  you.  He  was,  to  a  certain  extent, 
placed  under  military  supervision  so  that  he 
could  not  escape.  Our  visitor  had  perfect 
freedom  ;  he  could  do  whatever  he  liked,  only 
he  must  not  go  to  the  station.  When  at  last  he 
really  had  to  go  away,  and  when  he  had  showed 
us  most  unmistakably  that  he  really  could 
not  stay  away  longer,  we  only  let  him  off  by 
paying  huge  toll.  Ha  !  ha  !  We  were  nothing 
but  highwaymen ;  but,  good  gracious,  what 
on  earth  could  one  do  in  such  a  dull  hole  of  a 
place  ?  " 

The  major  liked  telling  stories  about  his  life 
in  the  little  garrison  town,  in  which  he  appeared 
to  have  much  enjoyed  himself  in  spite  of  his 
grumbling  and  swearing.  When  he  spoke  of 
the  days  when  he  was  a  young  lieutenant  he 
nearly  always  began  his  description  with,  "  We 


were  gay  dogs  in  these  days,"  and  then  he  winked 
knowingly  and  smacked  his  lips  in  remembrance 
of  the  jolly  days  when  wine,  women  and  dice 
played  the  chief  part.  Probably  the  memory 
of  his  life  in  the  little  garrison  town  was  so 
delightful  because,  to  a  certain  extent,  it  was 
merely  an  episode.  Immediately  after  his  mar- 
riage he  had  been  transferred  to  Berlin  and  had 
taken  a  good  position  there  because  he  was  a 
thoroughly  good-natured  man  and  an  excellent 
officer ;  his  wife  was  regarded  as  the  belle  of 
Society.  A  great  career  had  been  prophesied 
for  him,  but  one  day  all  his  prospects  were 
ruined  in  consequence  of  an  unjust  criticism  at 
inspection  parade.  The  contemptuous  tone  in 
which  the  General,  before  all  the  officers,  criticised 
the  way  he  did  his  work  made  his  blood  boil, 
and  he  so  far  lost  his  self-control  as  to  say  to 
the  General  that,  after  all,  he  was  only  a  human 
being  like  himself,  and  that  he  could  not  admit 
the  justice  of  his  remarks.  This  was  more  than 
insubordination,  and  the  major  might  consider 
himself  lucky  that  he  escaped  with  dismissal 
instead  of  being  punished.  He  left  the  army,  but 
a  little  later  the  General  was  also  dismissed  ;  his 
methods  of  criticism  had  also  not  been  approved 
of  in  higher  quarters. 

When  the  major  began  to  tell  of  the  days 
when  he  was"*a  lieutenant  he  went  on  from  one 
story  to  another,  and  though  his  womenfolk 
had  heard  them  all  over  and  over  again,  they 

174 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

listened  attentively  to  him  from  affection ;  for 
he  had  nothing  on  earth  to  do  but  tell  these 
stories  of  the  gay  or  wearisome  times  he  had  had 
as  an  officer.  If,  as  now,  he  had  a  little  cham- 
pagne by  his  side,  everything  in  the  past  had 
a  golden  halo  around  it ;  when  he  sat  at  home 
with  his  money  bothers  he  had  not  a  good  word 
for  the  whole  army. 

At  last  the  train  which  was  to  bring  Fritz 
was  signalled. 

The  major  looked  into  the  bottle,  it  was  empty  ; 
he  turned  to  the  waiter  to  order  another  one, 
when  his  womenfolk  interposed.  "  Let  us  go 
home  when  Fritz  comes,  it  is  much  nicer  there ; 
besides,  we  have  to  dress  for  dinner." 

Grumbling,  the  major  agreed.  "  Very  well, 
then,  I  must  pay."  He  looked  into  his  purse. 
"  Good  gracious,  I  forgot  to  put  in  a  five-pound 
note.  I  have  not  enough  money  with  me." 

"  Oh,  that  does  not  matter,  sir,"  averred  the 
waiter ;  "  the  gentleman  can  pay  when  he 
comes  next  time." 

Hildegarde  grew  scarlet,  she  felt  ready  to 
sink  to  the  ground  for  shame ;  she  knew  the 
trick  so  well,  she  had  been  witness  innumerable 
times  when  her  father  had  forgotten  the  five- 
pound  note  which,  as  a  rule,  he  never  possessed. 
How  had  she  forgotten  about  this  for  the 
moment  ?  Never,  never  should  her  father 
remain  in  debt  for  a  meal  of  which  she  had  par- 
taken. So  she  opened  her  purse.  "  I  have 

175 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

some  change,  father.  How  much  do  you  want  ?  " 
And  without  waiting  for  an  answer  she  pushed 
two  gold  coins  towards  the  waiter. 

"  Ah,  that's  right,  Hilda,  only  don't  forget 
to  remind  me  to  give  you  back  the  money  directly 
we  get  home." 

The  waiter  was  about  to  give  her  some  change, 
but  Hildegarde  did  not  take  it.  "That's  all 
right,  keep  the  change  for  yourself." 

They  got  up  and  went  on  to  the  platform. 
"  Hilda,  how  could  you  be  so  foolish  as  to  pay," 
scolded  the  major  ;  "  to-morrow  it  will  be  all 
over  the  town  that  you  have  come  back  with 
money,  and  in  honour  of  my  birthday  the  people 
will  dun  me  for  their  accounts.  One  must  either 
pay  all  or  nothing.  I  cannot  do  the  first,  so  I 
have  all  carefully  noted  down,  and  later  I  shall 
settle  the  whole  bodily  at  one  go." 

Hildegarde  was  vexed  at  this  way  of  looking 
at  things.  "  What  do  you  think  about  this, 
mother  ?  " 

The  baroness  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  I 
should  prefer  to  pay  ready  money  for  every- 
thing, but  as  we  cannot  do  that  we  must  adopt 
another  method.  But  the  people  know  very 
well  that  they  will  get  their  money."  And 
drawing  Hildegarde  aside  she  asked  in  a  whisper, 
"  Tell  me,  pray — I  am  consumed  with  anxiety 
and  I  wonder  your  father  has  not  yet  asked 
you — what  did  the  Warnows  send  as  a  birthday 
present  ?  " 

176 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

"  Uncle  sent  by  me  a  cheque  for  six  thousand 
marks  (£300)  on  the  local  branch  of  the  Imperial 
Bank." 

"  Not  more  than  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  mamma  !  " 

Hildegarde  could  not  speak.  She  herself  was 
more  than  humiliated  by  her  uncle's  kindness. 
She  had  reckoned  up  what  he  had  spent  in  the 
course  of  years  for  her  parents,  Fritz  and  herself. 
It  is  true  he  was  very  rich,  and  in  spite  of  his 
splendid  way  of  living  and  all  that  he  gave  away 
he  did  not  live  up  to  his  income  ;  but  his  kind- 
ness had  so  greatly  shamed  and  affected  her  that 
she  had  long  ago  declined  to  accept  any  money 
from  him. 

Her  mother,  absorbed  in  thought,  walked  to  and 
fro  with  Hildegarde,  whilst  her  father  inquired  of 
the  station-master  why  the  gate  was  not  yet  open . 

"  Now,"  she  said,  "  I  fear  your  father  will  be 
somewhat  disappointed.  I  know  that  he  secretly 
reckoned  upon  ten  thousand  (£500).  Six  thous- 
and (£300)  is,  of  course,  a  lot  of  money.  Nobody 
must  know  anything  about  it,  or  people  will 
try  and  get  it  out  of  us  at  once." 

The  arrival  of  the  train  brought  the  conver- 
sation to  an  end,  and  Fritz  hastened  towards 
his  parents  and  sister  and  greeted  them  heartily. 
He  was  in  faultless  civilian  costume,  which 
betrayed  the  officer  in  every  detail. 

"  How  do  you  do,  mamma  ?  How  do,  papa  ? 
How  do.  Hilda  ?  How  nice  that  we're  all  here 

177  M 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

together  again  !  We'll  celebrate  the  next  few 
days  properly."  He  looked  round  for  his  ser- 
vant. "  Where's  the  idiot  ?  'Pon  my  word, 
these  fellows  get  more  idiotic  every  day.  Ah, 
there  he  comes." 

The  servant,  in  plain  blue  livery,  appeared, 
and  Fritz  handed  him  his  luggage  ticket. 

"  If  you,  thick-skinned  brute,  imagine  that 
I  take  you  with  me  for  your  private  pleasure, 
then  you  have  made  a  mistake.  You  are  here 
for  me,  do  you  understand  ?  And  if  you  dawdle 
about  here  and  don't  do  your  damned  duty, 
then  I'll  have  you  shut  up  in  barracks  for  a  few 
days  and  dismissed.  Do  you  understand  ?  Now, 
look  sharp  and  put  the  luggage  in  the  carriage." 

"  At  your  service,  sir."  The  servant  hurried 
out  to  fulfil  his  orders. 

Hildegarde  had  noticed  how  the  soldier  had 
blushed  when  his  lieutenant  had  rated  him  in 
this  contemptuous  manner  before  the  ladies  and 
the  other  travellers.  She  said  to  her  brother, 
"  Don't  be  so  disagreeable  to  your  servant. 
Probably  he  has  been  looking  forward  to  the 
holiday.  Don't  spoil  his  pleasure  for  him." 

"  It  doesn't  matter  to  me  whether  the  fellow 
enjoys  himself  or  not.  The  important  thing  is 
for  me  to  be  properly  looked  after,  and,  more- 
over, I  must  beg  you,  courteously  but  emphatic- 
ally, not  to  give  me  instructions  as  to  how  I  am 
to  treat  my  people.  Do  not  interfere  in  things 
that  don't  concern  you.  Tell  me  instead  how 

178 


things  are  with  you.  Are  we  soon  to  congratu- 
late you,  eh  ?  " 

They  had,  meanwhile,  taken  their  places  in 
the  carriage.  The  luggage  had  been  put  in,  the 
servant  mounted  the  box,  and  in  a  moment 
the  carriage  drove  off  at  a  trot  to  the  villa  where 
the  major  lived. 

Hildegarde  did  not  answer,  and  Fritz  had 
to  repeat  his  question  ;  but  he  read  in  his  mother's 
glance,  which  told  him  not  to  press  his  sister 
further,  that  all  was  going  on  well,  and  he  breathed 
a  sigh  of  relief. 

After  a  short  drive  they  reached  their  home, 
and  a  little  later  they  joined  one  another  at 
dinner.  The  major  beamed  with  pleasure  at 
having  his  two  children  with  him  again,  and  in 
honour  of  the  day,  and  as  a  preparation  for  the 
morrow,  they  had  the  best  wines  and  the  richest 
food.  After  dinner  they  sat  for  a  long  time 
over  the  coffee  and  cigars.  The  brother  and 
sister  had  to  tell  everything  that  had  happened 
to  them,  the  former  in  his  little  provincial  gar- 
rison, the  latter  in  Berlin. 

Although  the  major  loved  his  beautiful  daugh- 
ter dearly,  Fritz  was  certainly  his  favourite ; 
everything  that  he  did  was  right,  everything 
that  he  said  was  marvellous. 

Hildegarde,  on  the  contrary,  found  her  brother, 
whom  she  had  not  seen  for  some  time,  more 
intolerable  than  ever.  He  was  amazingly  proud 
and  conceited — the  typical  young  officer  who 

179 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

has  nothing,  is  nothing,  and  yet  solely  on  the 
strength  of  his  uniform  imagines  himself  to  be  a 
superior  being.  His  appearance  was  as  affected 
as  his  behaviour  ;  the  waxed  moustache  stand- 
ing out  proudly,  the  eye-glass  which  he  never 
for  a  moment  removed  from  his  eye,  and  his 
up-to-date  civilian's  dress.  He  was  really  rather 
nice-looking,  his  figure  was  slim  and  elegant, 
and  he  had  a  fresh,  open  countenance,  though 
somewhat  unintelligent  and  expressionless,  and 
he  wore  an  affected  air  of  boredom. 

Of  course  he  talked  of  nothing  but  his  horses, 
his  duties,  his^comrades,  and  this  bored  Hilde- 
garde  so  that  she  got  up  on  the  pretext  of  going 
to  rest  a  little.  Her  mother  also  rose  after  she 
had  arranged  with  her  daughter  to  pay  some 
visits  in  the  afternoon. 

As  soon  as  father  and  son  were  alone  together 
it  was :  "  What  do  you  say  if  we  were  to  drink 
another  bottle  of  wine  ?  " 

"  I'm  quite  agreeable." 

The  wine  was  brought,  and  for  a  short  time 
they  continued  their  former  conversation,  then 
they  spoke  of  Hildegarde. 

"  Really,  how  handsome  the  girl  still  is  !  " 
said  Fritz.  "  And  do  you  think  that  this  time 
it  will  come  off  ?  " 

To-day  the  major  saw  everything  in  roseate 
hues.  "  Yes,  most  certainly.  Hildegarde  has 
two  on  the  cards  ;  one  in  any  case  will  come 
up  to  the  scratch." 

180 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

Fritz  groaned  aloud.     "  God  grant  it  !  " 

"  Yes,  Heaven  help  us  !  "  assented  his  father, 
then  he  went  on  :  "  Well,  now,  as  we  clearly 
see  deliverance  before  us,  you  need  no  longer 
keep  any  secrets  from  me,  especially  as  you 
know  quite  well  that  I  cannot  pay  your  debts. 
I  told  you  that  directly  you  became  an  officer. 
I  said  to  you  then  :  '  Have  as  many  debts  as 
you  like,  but  look  to  yourself  for  paying  them.' 
Now  confess,  how  much  do  you  owe  ?  " 

Fritz  was  for  a  moment  embarrassed.  "  Do 
you  really  want  to  know  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  As  I  am  not  going  to  pay  them 
you  may  be  quite  sure  I  shall  not  reproach  you." 

Fritz  bit  another  cigar.  "  Taking  it  all  in 
all,  from  first  to  last,  it  must  be  about  forty 
thousand  marks." 

"  And  how  long  have  you  been  a  lieutenant  ?  " 

"  Seven  years." 

"  Then  that  would  be  at  the  rate  of  about 
six  thousand  a  year ;  it  can't  be  called  a  small 
amount." 

Fritz  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  What  is  one 
to  do  ?  The  life  of  an  officer  is  expensive,  and 
then  one  is  not  born  into  the  world  simply  to 
perform  one's  military  duties.  One  cannot 
manage  on  the  allowance  you  give  me." 

"  Another  perhaps  might — you  cannot." 

"  I  don't  think  anyone  else,  at  least  no  one 
in  my  regiment,  could ;  they  are  all  in  debt, 
some  more,  some  less.  I  should  say  that  75  per 

181 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

cent,  of  all  the  lieutenants  from  time  to  time 
do  confess  to  their  parents,  then  a  couple  of 
thousands  or  so  are  paid — naturally  each  time 
they  say  it  is  the  very  last — and  the  son  is  once 
more  on  his  legs  again.  Now,  if  one  multiplies 
by  seven  the  amount  that  the  others  pay  yearly 
in  debts,  it  amounts  to  a  pretty  big  sum  of  money. 
With  me  the  matter  is  somewhat  more  com- 
plicated, because  I  have  never  paid  a  farthing, 
and  when  one  is  in  such  a  plight  as  I  am  one 
naturally  has  to  pay  very  high  interest.  The 
last  time,  in  spite  of  great  skill  and  cunning, 
I  received  a  thousand  marks  when  I  gave  an  I  0  U 
for  three  thousand." 

"  Still,  that's  something,"  laughed  his  father. 

Involuntarily  Fritz  joined  in  the  laugh,  then 
he  became  serious  again  and  asked,  "  How  are 
things  with  you,  father  ?  " 

The  major  smoked  on  furiously  for  a  moment. 
"  Don't  ask  me,  my  son,  things  are  very  bad 
indeed  with  me." 

The  old  gentleman  looked  so  full  of  despair 
that  Fritz  felt  sincere  sympathy,  "  Poor  father, 
all  will  soon  be  better  again." 

"  Perhaps  so  ;  but  will  you  believe  it,  that  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  I  am  not  a  man  of  prejudice, 
I  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  accepting  money  from 
my  son-in-law,  not  only  to  pay  my  debts,  but 
in  order  to  exist  ?  " 

Fritz  looked  at  him  with  astonishment.  "  I 
cannot  understand  it." 

182 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

"  That  is  because  you  are  a  young  lieutenant, 
unmarried,  and  have  no  one  in  the  world  to  look 
after  but  yourself.  But  consider  me,  I  am  an 
old  man  of  sixty.  For  more  than  ten  years 
I  have  been  pensioned  ;  at  eight  I  entered  the 
army  as  a  cadet.  I  have  therefore  worn  the 
soldier's  uniform  for  over  forty  years,  and  during 
the  whole  time  I  have  exercised  and  drilled 
recruits,  done  my  duty  on  parade,  taken  part 
in  three  campaigns.  And  what  is  the  result 
of  it  all  ?  To  be  dismissed  with  a  pension  on 
which  one  cannot  live  if  he  has  a  wife  and  child. 
Pensioned  off  with  four  thousand  marks.  I 
ask  you,  what  are  four  thousand  marks  to-day  ? 
Now,  things  are  said  to  be  better,  the  pensions 
are  to  be  increased — well,  let  us  say  there  is  an 
addition  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  marks — 
it  won't  in  any  case  be  more,  probably  not  so 
much.  What  then  ?  Even  six  thousand  marks 
are  not  sufficient  to  defray  the  household  ex- 
penses of  a  family,  are  they  ?  In  a  little  town, 
perhaps,  if  one  lives  extremely  modestly.  But 
has  one  grown  old,  has  one  worn  out  one's  bones 
for  years  in  peace  and  in  war,  in  order  that  in 
one's  old  age  one  must  suffer  one  deprivation 
after  another  merely  to  prolong  life  ?  There  is 
an  old  saying  that  the  sweets  of  youth  are  not  a 
good  preparation  for  the  black  bread  of  old  age. 
And  we  pensioned  officers  in  our  youth  tasted 
mostly  nothing  but  sweets.  Certainly  there  were 
notable  exceptions  who  managed  on  their  allow- 

183 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

ance,  who  were  economical  and  sober,  but  most 
lived  in  a  happy-go-lucky  fashion  and  enjoyed 
all  the  pleasures  that  were  offered  them.  And 
what  a  position  one  enjoyed  then,  how  one  was 
feted  !  From  one  family  to  another,  one  dinner 
to  another.  They  always  gave  us  the  best  of 
everything,  overwhelmed  us  with  attentions, 
literally  begged  and  entreated  for  our  favour. 
And  how  well  and  luxuriously  we  lived  at  the 
Casino.  We  ordered  what  we  wanted,  and  if 
we  had  no  money  we  ran  into  debt.  Then  after 
this  youth  of  amusement  and  gaiety  comes 
sorrowful  old  age,  in  which  one  has  nothing 
whatever  to  do,  though  that  is  not  the  worst 
part  of  it.  Two  things  make  old  age  unbear- 
able ;  money  anxieties  and  the  position  to  which 
we  are  relegated.  Who  are  we  nowadays  ? 
Mere  nobodies  !  The  stupidest  young  lieutenant 
plays  a  far  more  important  part  than  we.  We 
are  on  the  shelf,  no  attention  is  paid  to  us  ;  we 
are  either  regarded  as  ridiculous  figures  or,  at 
any  rate,  as  objects  of  pity.  And  so  after  we 
have  done  our  duty  for  years  we  can  retire  to 
some  miserable  little  hole  where  we  are  bored 
to  death  or  starve.  For  you  can't  imagine,  my 
boy,  the  way  in  which  the  pensioned  officers 
and  their  families  live  here,  and,  of  course,  it  is 
the  same  in  every  pensionopolis.  There  is  a 
groaning  and  a  gnashing  of  teeth  of  which  none 
but  the  initiated  have  any  idea.  How  few  of 
them  ever  have  any  opportunity  of  earning  a 

184 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

few  pence  ?  People  are  apt  to  avoid  the  pen- 
sioned officer,  not  entirely  without  justification, 
and  when  he  does  try  to  get  a  post,  how  much 
can  he  earn  as  an  agent  or  traveller  for  wine  ? 
It  is  a  miserable  life,  a  dog's  life.  Pour  me 
out  some  more  wine,  my  boy,  pass  me  the  glorious 
wine  ;  we  must  gild  the  grey  day,  glorify  it  with 
wine." 

Father  and  son  clinked  glasses  and  emptied 
them  at  a  draught.  Then  Fritz  said  : 

"  You  may  be  quite  right  in  what  you  say, 
father,  but  how  can  things  be  altered  ?  It  has 
always  been  like  this,  and  I  suppose  it  always 
will  be." 

'  Yes,  as  long  as  the  officer  plays  the  import- 
ant part  in  Society  that  he  does  to-day." 

Fritz  looked  up  astonished. 

"  Do  you  then,  as  an  officer,  wish  that  it  should 
be  otherwise  ?  " 

"  In  many  ways,  certainly.  Do  not  mis- 
understand me.  I  am  far  from  wishing  that  the 
position  of  the  officer  should  be  lowered.  In 
my  opinion  he  must  and  ought  to  remain  in  the 
view  of  the  public  what  he  is  to-day — a  man 
belonging  to  the  highest  class  of  Society.  That 
is  necessary  if  we  desire  to  maintain  our  army 
in  the  highest  efficiency,  as  it  still  is — although 
for  a  long  time  things  have  not  been  as  they 
ought  to  be — as  it  must  be,  and  as  it  could  be  ; 
but  these  eternal  inspections,  the  fear  of  dis- 
missal and  the  struggle  for  mere  existence  no 

185 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

longer  permit  of  the  careful  military  training 
of  our  troops.  However,  that  is  another  story." 
Turning  to  his  son  :  "  Give  me  another  glass 
of  wine,  these  long  speeches  make  me  thirsty, 
but  I  must  relieve  myself  once  for  all  of  what 
I  have  on  my  mind." 

Then,  drinking  off  the  contents  of  his  glass 
at  a  draught,  he  continued  : 

"  Well  now,  my  boy,  aristocratic  men  should 
really  form  the  highest  caste  in  the  land,  but  to 
do  this  they  must  be  far  more  exclusive  than 
they  are  to-day.  People  are  always  talking  about 
the  caste  feeling  of  the  officers,  and  it  is  solemnly 
trotted  out  when  it  is  a  question  of  excluding 
unwelcome  elements  from  the  officers'  corps,  or 
when  an  officer  strikes  a  civilian  with  his  sword, 
or  whenever  an  officer  fights  a  duel  with  a  com- 
rade or  anyone  else.  When  the  cry  is  raised 
against  them  by  the  other  classes  the  officers 
always  defend  themselves  with,  '  Remember  we 
belong  to  the  highest  caste ;  we  have  our  own 
sense  of  honour,  which  you  cannot  understand  ; 
our  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  nor  yours 
ours,  God  be  thanked  ! ' 

"  But  how  are  things  really  with  this  highest 
caste  ?  If  they  had  their  own  special  instincts 
and  characteristics,  their  own  ideas  of  honour, 
then  they  would  not  only  appear  '  first  class/ 
they  really  would  be  it.  They  ought  to  remem- 
ber the  Emperor's  words :  '  The  best  society 
for  the  officer  is  that  of  the  officer.'  But  it 

186 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

is  just  this  idea  that  you  all  object  to,  and  now 
I  am  coming  to  what  I  wanted  to  say.  Consider 
for  a  moment  the  society  of  the  modern  officer — 
I  am  not  here  referring  to  low-class  society — he 
he  has  far  too  much  of  it ;  people  run  after  the 
lieutenants,  everybody  who  has  a  house  invites 
you  officers,  and  what  do  you  do  ?  You  accept 
every  invitation  when  there  is  nothing  actually 
against  the  host  which  makes  social  intercourse 
in  his  house  an  absolute  impossibility,  and  of 
course  that  is  rare.  Wherever  there  is  the 
attraction  of  a  dinner,  a  supper,  an  entertain- 
ment of  any  kind,  where  the  food  is  good  and 
the  drinks  plentiful,  there  the  officers  are  to  be 
found,  and  it  is  solely  for  the  sake  of  the  excellent 
fare  that  they  visit  these  people  with  whom 
they  would  not  dream  of  sitting  down  to  dinner 
if  they  were  not  rich.  To-day,  alas !  money 
in  the  eyes  of  the  officers  ennobles.  That  proud 
sense  of  honour  which  the  highest  class  ought 
to  have  should  not  judge  a  man  according  as  he 
is  rich  or  poor,  but  solely  as  he  is  an  honourable 
man.  I  have  often  enough  noticed  how  even 
the  old  officers  bow  down  to  money,  how  they 
try  to  win  the  favour  of  the  rich,  how  they  give 
themselves  endless  trouble  to  get  introduced 
into  a  family  where  a  good  dinner  and  a  rich 
daughter  is  the  attraction.  Naturally,  if  an 
officer  behaves  in  this  way  he  lowers  himself 
in  the  eyes  of  other  people  and  arouses  the 
contempt  and  derision  of  all  thoughtful  men " 

187 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  But,  father "  interrupted  the  son. 

"  Let  me  finish  first  what  I  have  to  say.  If 
you  have  any  right  feeling  you  must  agree  with 
me  in  what  I  have  already  said.  But  the  chief 
reason  why  the  social  condition  of  the  officers 
must  be  altered  is,  that  owing  to  the  present  state 
of  affairs  the  officer  no  longer  takes  a  pride  and 
a  joy  in  his  military  duties,  and  is  forced  into 
a  quite  false  mode  of  living.  If  he  goes  night 
after  night  to  balls  can  he  next  day  be  fresh 
for  his  duties  ?  and  if  he  daily  swallows  oysters 
and  champagne  at  other  people's  houses,  naturally 
he  does  not  live  at  the  Casino  and  in  his  own 
home  as  economically  and  as  simply  as  he  ought 
if  he  is  to  manage  on  his  money  and  contract  no 
debts.  He  ought  hi  these  ways  to  act  as  a 
shining  example  to  other  people,  and  be  in 
reality,  and  show  that  he  is  really,  a  first-class 
man.  I  do  not  entirely  blame  the  lieutenants, 
but  Society,  and,  above  all,  the  military  authori- 
ties. These,  in  my  view,  ought  to  forbid  their 
officers  to  go  into  Society  so  tremendously. 
Their  warnings  not  to  live  beyond  their  means 
are  not  enough,  and  likewise,  it  is  not  much 
use  to  read  out  from  time  to  time  the  stringent 
Cabinet  Order  :  '  In  order  to  decrease  the  love 
of  luxury  and  pleasure  it  becomes  the  officers 
to  give  a  good  example  by  their  economical  and 
upright  mode  of  life,'  or  some  such  words.  The 
officers  might  assert  that  they  are  economical 
in  the  Casino,  but  then  it  is  the  rarest  thing  for 

188 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

an  officer  to  be  ruined  by  his  actual  extravagance 
in  barracks.  It  is  Society  that  is  answerable 
for  the  lieutenants,  Society  which  imbues  him 
with  the  idea,  the  crazy  idea  I  might  say,  that 
he  is  a  creature  specially  favoured  by  the  Al- 
mighty, who  instil  into  him  the  poison  of  '  You 
are  quite  different  from  every  one  else.'  Society 
drives  him  into  making  debts  and  living  gaily 
upon  them,  just  as  the  rich  do.  When  you  are 
an  old  pensioned  officer  as  I  am,  without  money 
or  position,  you  will  see  and  understand  how 
Society  sins  against  you  by  spoiling  you  in 
this  way.  Yes,  and  when  one  is  a  young  lieu- 
tenant one  is  foolish  enough  to  believe  that  all 
these  invitations  are  meant  as  an  honour  to 
oneself  personally,  instead  of,  as  it  really  is, 
to  the  officer's  uniform." 

'  That's  not  always  so,"  interrupted  his  son. 
"  Always,  as  far  as  lieutenants  are  concerned, 
I  bet  you  any  amount.  It  is  well  known  to 
you  that  the  late  Emperor  Frederick  had  signed 
a  Cabinet  Order  commanding  his  officers  to 
wear  uniform  only  when  on  duty ;  on  other 
occasions  they  were  to  appear  in  civilian  dress. 
I  will  not  criticise  in  any  way  this  Imperial 
command,  which  is  not  yet  in  force,  but  if  it 
were  in  force,  one  thing  I  can  tell  you — with 
one  stroke  it  would  have  robbed  the  lieutenants 
of  their  social  importance.  The  young  girls 
would  be  bitterly  disappointed,  and  the  Enfeld 
Hussars  would  not  then  be  in  such  great  request. 

189 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

Now,  after  what  I  have  told  you,  do  you  not  see 
that  the  carrying  out  of  this  onjler  would  have  been 
for  the  benefit  of  the  officers  in  many  ways  ?  " 

Fritz  had  been  listening  to  his  father  with 
astonishment,  and  now  he  said :  "  But  what 
sort  of  a  life  do  you  think  we  ought  to  live  ? 
Without  amusements  or  social  intercourse  we 
could  not  exist,  we  should  grow  stupid  and  dull." 

"  Don't  you  imagine  it,  my  boy,"  laughed 
the  old  man.  "  Confess,  honestly,  do  you  ever 
talk  about  anything  sensible  at  these  entertain- 
ments ?  You  speak,  and  that  is  all,  you  whisper 
sweet  words,  or  talk  gossip  to  one  another,  but 
have  you  ever  talked  about  one  serious  subject 
at  any  place  where  you  have  been  to  ?  You 
could  not  indeed  do  that,  for  you  are  far  too 
stupid.  Don't  be  offended  at  my  harsh  words, 
but  I  am  quite  right  in  what  I  say.  No  one, 
however,  ought  to  reproach  you  with  your 
stupidity.  The  majority  of  officers  have  been 
cadets,  and  what  do  you  learn  in  the  army  ? 
Drill,  riding,  how  to  judge  a  horse,  manners  and 
behaviour,  but  what  else  ?  What  is  added  in 
the  way  of  knowledge  is  not  worth  talking  about, 
but  it's  considered  quite  sufficient  for  an  officer. 
I  have  been  in  the  army  and  I  can  tell  you  that 
I  have  often  felt  horribly,  horribly  ashamed 
when  I  saw  how  little  I  knew  that  an  educated 
man  ought  to  know.  It  is  the  rarest  thing  in 
the  world  nowadays  for  a  young  officer  to  go 
on  with  his  education.  If  he  ever  does  study 

190 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

it's  simply  military  subjects,  and  except  for 
this  he  is  only  too  delighted  when  his  duties 
are  over  to  take  his  ease  or  to  fill  himself  with 
alcohol,  and  I  must  say  the  last  occupation  is 
by  no  means  the  worst.  Pass  along  the  wine, 
my  boy,"  and  again  the  glasses  clinked. 

"  Let  me  see,  what  was  I  just  saying  ?  " 
asked  the  major.  "  Oh,  yes,  I  remember.  Well, 
you  see,  your  intellectual  education  ought  not 
to  be  of  a  kind  to  make  you  long  to  go  to  enter- 
tainments and  festivities ;  on  the  contrary,  if 
you  were  better  educated  you  would  feel  how 
boring  it  is  to  dine  to-day  at  the  Mullers,  to- 
morrow at  the  Schulzes,  and  to  dance  about 
with  young  girls ;  you  could  easily  dispense 
with  the  conversation,  I'll  be  bound,  but  not 
with  the  dinners  and  the  girls." 

"  But  what  do  you  want,  then,  father  ?  I 
really  don't  understand  you.  Almost  every 
week  one  reads  in  the  papers  of  some  scandal  or 
other  that  has  taken  place  in  a  little  garrison 
town.  Either  two  drunken  lieutenants  have 
boxed  each  other's  ears,  or  have  carried  on 
with  each  other's  wives,  or  there  is  some  other 
addition  to  the  Chronique  Scandaleuse.  And  as 
excuse  it  is  always  said,  with  complete  justice  : 
'  The  men  there  have  nothing  but  the  public- 
houses  to  go  to,  they  ruin  morals ;  if  they  had 
the  society  which  their  brother  officers  enjoy 
in  the  large  towns  these  things  would  not  happen.' 
We  should  simply  die  if  we  couldn't  go  to  these 

191 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

little    entertainments,    and    now    you    want    to 
deprive  us  of  them." 

"  I  was  not  meaning  that,  I  only  want  to 
alter  them,  to  make  them  simpler,  to  reorganise 
the  whole  thing.  To-day,  when  two  lieutenants 
meet  on  duty  in  the  morning,  and  one  tells  the 
other  that  yesterday  he  dined  with  such  and 
such  a  man  of  wealth,  the  other  asks,  with  deadly 
seriousness  :  '  Does  he  give  one  decent  things 
to  eat  ?  '  Then  the  first  speaker,  who  is  other- 
wise very  proud  of  the  fact  that,  owing  to  mental 
stupidity,  he  cannot  learn  anything  by  heart, 
rattles  off  the  long  menu,  together  with  the 
names  of  the  various  wines  !  If  an  old  staff- 
officer  who  knows  how  to  judge  good  wine  did 
this  I  should  not  object — the  man  has  a  right, 
I  might  almost  say  a  sacred  duty,  to  recognise 
with  gratitude  what  the  Almighty  allows  him 
to  have  in  the  shape  of  excellent  wine — but 
when  a  lieutenant  of  twenty  does  this  it  is  nothing 
but  a  vice  to  boast  of,  When  people  are  young 
they  ought  not  to  think  about  what  is  put  before 
them,  they  ought  not  indeed  to  know  anything 
about  it,  but  they  are  unfortunately  being 
educated  into  gourmands  and  gourmets.  When- 
ever a  lieutenant  is  invited  to  dinner  the  lady 
of  the  house  wrings  her  hands  and  says  :  '  We 
must  not  give  this  and  that,  it's  not  good  enough  ; 
and  if  we  don't  give  these  fine  gentlemen  good 
things  to  eat  they  won't  come  here  again,  they 
are  so  dreadfully  spoiled  nowadays.'  " 

192 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

"  It  is,  as  you  know,  the  universal  custom 
to  invite  captains  or  staff-officers  to  dinner, 
lieutenants  only  to  balls,  but  is  the  supper  after 
a  ball  anything  else  but  a  dinner  served  later  in 
the  evening  ?  There  are  caviare,  lobster  salads, 
pasties  of  goose-liver — I  know  the  whole  list — 
and  one  bottle  of  champagne  follows  the  other, 
and  that  is  the  folly.  No,  not  the  folly,  but  the 
wickedness  which  Society  commits  against  the 
young  officers  ;  you  are  so  terribly  spoiled  that 
you  become  firmly  convinced  that  a  luxurious 
life  is  the  only  life ;  you  see  it  everywhere,  in 
every  house  you  go  into,  and  it  is,  therefore,  not 
to  be  wondered  at  if  you  get  false  ideas." 

"  But  how  do  you  propose  to  alter  Society  ?  " 

"  In  this  way :  In  future  it  should  not  be 
simply  a  question  of  eating  and  drinking ;  the 
lieutenants  should  really  have  society  ;  not  only 
a  huge  supper.  But,  above  all,  in  future  the 
young  lieutenant  must  be  treated  as  a  human 
being,  not  as  a  little  god.  He  must  understand 
that  people  do  not  stand  on  tremendous  ceremony 
with  him  and  involve  themselves  in  expense  on 
his  behalf;  he  must  be  made  to  feel  that  he  is 
nothing  but  a  young  man  of  good  family. 

"  People  must  not  overwhelm  him  with  flattery  ; 
he  must,  of  course,  be  treated  politely  and 
cordially  as  any  other  guest  would  be,  but  he 
must  not  always  take  the  first  place.  When 
Society  makes  up  its  mind  to  do  this  then  the 
lieutenant  will  become  once  more  what  he  ought 

193  N 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

to  be,  but  what,  alas !  he  no  longer  is.  His 
foolish  self-complacency  will  vanish,  he  will 
again  perform  his  duties  with  enthusiasm  and 
delight ;  again  will  he  live  simply  and  economi- 
cally, and  he  will  then  be  no  longer  ashamed 
to  confess,  openly  and  honourably  :  *  My  means 
do  not  allow  me  to  do  such  and  such  a  thing.' 
He  will  no  longer  run  up  debts,  nor  gamble, 
and  the  number  of  men  who  are  ruined  by  their 
profligate  lives  will  be  speedily  decreased.  And 
when  later  he  drops  the  uniform  he  will  not 
long  for  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt  as  the  present 
generation  do  ;  he  will  know  how  to  live  on  his 
income,  and  then  if,  during  his  years  of  active 
service  he  were  not  worshipped  as  a  second 
golden  calf,  he  could  endure  to  play  an  unim- 
portant part  when  he  retires  on  a  pension.  And 
the  one  thing  more :  If  when  he  is  an  officer 
he  understands  clearly  that  he  is  not  superior  to 
other  people,  then  when  he  takes  his  discharge 
he  will  not  be  ashamed  and  afraid  of  working, 
nor  of  adding  to  his  somewhat  limited  stock 
of  knowledge  in  order  to  get  some  appointment 
or  other  which  will  enable  him  to  support  himself 
and  his  family.  He  will  consider  it  more  honour- 
able to  live  on  money  which  he  had  honestly 
earned  than  on  credit,  or  by  running  into  debt." 

Fritz  looked  at  his  father  in  great  astonishment. 
"  But  what  makes  you  take  these  views  ?  " 

"  Why  do  I  take  them  ?     I  have  always  had 
them,  though  perhaps  I  have  not  always  lived 
194 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

in  accordance  with  them.  You  know  what  a 
situation  I  am  in,  and  naturally  enough  I  often 
ask  myself  who  is  to  blame  for  it.  I  have  thought 
long  and  much  on  the  subject,  and  I  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  :  it  is  Society  that  spoils  us 
utterly  as  it  is  now  spoiling  you,  and  then  casts 
us  aside  as  valueless  directly  we  no  longer  wear 
the  dazzling  uniform.  Society  means  well,  but 
without  wishing  to  do  so  it  commits  more  sins 
against  the  lieutenants  than  it  can  answer  for, 
and  from  this  point  of  view  His  Majesty  was 
perfectly  right  when  he  made  the  remark  I  have 
already  referred  to :  '  The  best  society  for  the 
officer  is  the  society  of  the  officer.'  I  know  this, 
that  if  ever  I  had  been  the  colonel  and  com- 
mander of  a  regiment  I  should  have  said  to  my 
officers :  '  Gentlemen,  you  must  give  up  going  all 
over  the  place  wherever  a  smoking  dish  awaits 
you ;  I  will  give  you  a  list  of  the  families  where 
you  can  visit.'  I  should  have  only  chosen  those 
where  my  officers  could  have  had,  first  of  all, 
nice,  pleasant,  friendly,  social  intercourse,  and, 
secondly,  quite  simple  suppers.  Of  course,  as 
you  can  imagine,  my  son,  the  officers  would 
have  at  first  cursed  and  sworn,  but  later  they 
would  have  been  grateful  to  me.  Bismarck 
used  to  say :  '  Other  nations  can  imitate  every- 
thing we  possess  except  the  Prussian  lieutenant.' 
The  old  statesman  was  right  when  he  spoke. 
Would  he  be  equally  right  to-day,  I  wonder  ?  " 
"  But,  father 

195 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  Don't  interrupt,  my  boy,"  laughed  the  old 
major  ;  "  you  are  my  dearly-loved  son,  and  my 
joy,  but  would  you  maintain  that  you  are  the 
model  Prussian  lieutenant  whom  Bismarck 
praised  ?  " 

"  Well,  no,  not  exactly  that,"  admitted  Fritz, 
yielding,  "but  still— 

"Now  be  a  good  fellow,  don't  defend  yourself 
any  further.  It's  high  time,  moreover,  for  us 
to  stop  talking.  I  must  have  my  afternoon  nap. 
At  six  o'clock  I  am  going  to  the  club.  Will  you 
come  with  me  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  Dad." 

"  Very  well,  then,  good-bye  for  the  present," 
and  the  old  man  went  into  his  room. 

It  was  not  till  supper  that  the  family  were 
all  together  again,  and  the  men  folk  were  late 
in  coming.  They  had  stayed  longer  than  usual 
at  the  club,  the  members  of  which  were  retired 
officers  who  day  after  day  argued  and  disputed 
concerning  their  dismissal  and  the  advancement 
of  their  comrades  who,  according  to  their  firm 
conviction,  ought  to  have  been  retired  far  earlier 
than  they.  Fritz's  appearance  aroused  quite  a 
sensation  in  the  little  circle  ;  they  were  delighted 
to  see  at  lunch  once  again  a  lieutenant  on  active 
service,  even  though  he  was  in  mufti,  and  they 
were  suddenly  of  the  opinion  that  the  ordinary 
sour  Moselle  was  not  at  all  a  suitable  beverage  for 
the  occasion.  They  ordered  a  better  brand  and 
chatted  gaily  over  it. 

196 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

The  major  and  his  son  were  somewhat  silent 
at  supper  ;  the  mother  told  all  about  the  visits 
she  had  paid  with  Hildegarde,  and  as  herhusband 
was  in  an  amiable  frame  of  mind  she  thought 
this  would  be  a  favourable  moment  for  him  to 
bear  the  disappointment  of  learning  that  the 
Warnows  had  only  sent  him  six  thousand 
marks.  So  she  told  him  about  it,  and  also  that 
she  had  changed  the  cheque  in  the  bank. 

"  Well,  it's  not  much,  certainly,  but  it's  some- 
thing," averred  the  major.  "  Let  me  have  the 
money." 

His  wife  objected.  "Let  me  keep  it  till  to- 
morrow, then  we  will  talk  over  things  quietly 
and  consider  whom  we  must  pay." 

"  Paying  is  all  very  well,"  said  Fritz,  "  but 
surely  you  wouldn't  be  so  stupid,  now  that  you 
have  a  few  pence  in  your  pockets,  to  fling  them 
away  again.  If  you  pay  one  person  all  the  others 
will  come  running  to  the  house  to-morrow,  in 
honour  of  the  Dad's  birthday.  Whoever  would 
be  so  stupid  as  to  pay  debts  ?  " 

His  father  quite  agreed  with  him.  "  Fritz  is 
right,  Fritz  is  a  sensible  fellow.  The  crew  have 
waited  all  this  time  for  their  money  and  can 
certainly  wait  a  few  weeks  longer  until  Hilda  is 
engaged.  To  your  health,  Hilda  !  " 

Fritz  also  raised  his  glass.  "  Long  life  to 
your  future  husband  !  By  the  way  what's  his 
name  ?  Not  that  it  matters  ;  the  thing  is,  he 
has  money." 

197 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

But  Hildegarde  did  not  lift  her  glass,  she 
would  like  to  have  got  up  from  the  table,  she 
could  not  bear  the  way  they  talked  about  her, 
and  she  could  hardly  refrain  from  bursting  into 
tears.  What  would  George  think  if  he  knew 
how  they  drank  his  health  and  how  they  only 
thought  of  his  money  and  not  of  himself  ? 

"  Well,  if  you  won't  drink  with  us,  leave  it 
alone,"  said  Fritz,  and  emptied  his  glass. 

The  major  returned  to  the  subject  of  the 
money.  "  My  dear,  with  that  money  we  might 
really  have  a  nice  little  holiday ;  for  three  years 
we  have  not  stirred  from  this  miserable  hole. 
We  would  leave  two  thousand  marks  at  home, 
so  that  when  we  returned  we  were  not  penniless, 
and  the  rest  we  would  take  with  us  and  go  for  a 
few  weeks  to  Italy." 

The  idea  was  very  agreeable  to  his  wife,  but 
she  said,  however,  "  Later,  perhaps,  when  Hilda 
is  engaged.  Remember  the  engagement  may 
take  place  any  day,  and  we  must  be  here  to 
receive  the  dear  man  with  open  arms." 

"  We  will  do  that,  certainly,"  said  the  major, 
"  we'll  embrace  him.  He  will  be  astonished 
how  affectionately  we  hold  him,  won't  he,  Fritz  ?  " 
And  turning  to  his  wife  he  went  on  :  "  Just 
imagine,  mother,  that  rogue  Fritz  is  forty  thousand 
marks  in  debt."  And  he  burst  out  laughing  at 
his  son. 

His  mother  clasped  her  hands,  horrified.  "  But 
Fritz,  how  is  that  possible  ?  " 

198 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

And,  Hildegarde,  astounded,  burst  out :  "  What 
on  earth  do  you  do  with  the  money  from  home 
that  uncle  sends  you  ?  " 

"  '  Ask  the  stars  that  all  things  know,'  "  Fritz 
began  to  hum,  but  he  could  not  recollect  the 
tune,  so  he  only  hummed  a  couple  of  inarticulate 
notes. 

It  was  long  before  his  mother  recovered  her 
composure.  "It  is  really  frightful ;  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  Hildegarde' s  fiance  will  pay  your 
debts  also  later.  But  supposing  he  doesn't, 
what  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  Shoot  myself.  But  he'll  soon  pay  up,  I'll 
see  to  that  all  right." 

"  If  you  only  had  been  something  else  but  an 
officer,"  lamented  his  mother ;  "  it's  madness 
for  a  man  who  has  no  money  to  enter  the  army." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,"  said  Fritz  ;  "  but 
what's  the  use  of  lamenting  ?  It's  too  late  now, 
you  should  have  thought  of  that  before,  when 
you  sent  me  to  the  Military  College.  I  wasn't 
asked." 

"  You  are  quite  right.  The  rascal  is  reproaching 
us  now,"  laughed  his  father. 

"  I  didn't  mean  that  at  all,  father.  I  have  a 
very  good  time  as  a  lieutenant ;  besides,  I  don't 
know  what  else  I  could  have  been.  But  you 
know,  being  a  lieutenant  has  its  drawbacks ; 
one  is  never  free  from  money  difficulties,  and 
then  there  is  the  constant  fear  of  getting  one's 
discharge  much  earlier  than  one  expects.  It's 

199 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

a  horrible  feeling.  I  really  can't  understand 
why  fathers  let  their  sons  go  into  the  army,  and 
least  of  all  can  I  understand  why  retired  officers 
always  do  it.  The  old  officers,  you,  father, 
most  of  all,  and  those  whom  I  met  to-day  at  the 
club,  are  always  complaining  of  the  injustice  of 
being  pensioned  off  so  early ;  they  lament  that 
the  army  is  no  longer  what  it  once  was ;  they 
groan  over  their  tiny  pensions  and  their  bodily 
ills,  the  results  of  long  years  of  campaigning  ; 
they  swear  at  the  allowance  they  are  obliged  to 
make  their  sons.  They  know  perfectly  well, 
however,  that  he  cannot  manage  on  it,  and  that 
he,  therefore,  contracts  debts  ;  they  know  that, 
at  best,  their  son  will  only  be  a  staff-officer, 
and  that  then  till  his  death  he  will  lead  the  same 
miserable,  embittered  life  as  they  have.  And 
alas  :  they  also  know  how  a  mistake  on  duty, 
a  mis-spent  evening,  an  impulsive  blow  may 
ruin  a  young  soldier,  and  although  they  know 
all  this  they  let  him  become  a  soldier.  And 
when  one  day  the  young  officer  is  at  the  end  of 
his  tether  and  has  to  leave  the  army,  then  there 
is  lamentation  and  grieving,  and,  of  course,  no 
one  is  to  blame  but  the  son." 

"  Everybody  wouldn't  find  things  as  bad  as 
you  do,"  interposed  the  major. 

"  You  are  right,  but  I  am  not  speaking  about 
myself,  but  of  things  in  general.  In  my  regiment 
it  happens  we  are  nearly  all  the  sons  of  retired 
officers  and  I  am  constantly  hearing  one  or  other 

200 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

of  them  complaining  :  '  Why  on  earth  didn't  my 
father  let  me  be  something  else,  as  he  must  know 
I  can't  possibly  manage  on  the  small  allowance 
he  gives  me  ?  '  Why  do  these  old  officers  always 
send  their  sons  to  a  military  college  in  spite  of  all 
there  is  against  it  ?  Because  it  is  cheap,  and 
it  is  so  very  convenient  to  get  the  young  rascals 
educated  in  that  way.  Do  you  suppose  that  in 
the  future  the  retired  officers  would  take  it  quite 
so  much  as  a  matter  of  course  that  their  sons 
should  go  into  the  army  if  they  had  to  pay  four 
or  five  hundred  marks  a  year  at  college  instead 
of  eighty,  besides  providing  them  with  clothes  ? 
They  would  not  think  any  more  about  it.  But 
now  it's  a  simple  matter :  '  Let  the  boy  be 
educated  cheaply,  that's  the  thing,  we  can  attend 
to  other  things  later  on.'  Privately  they  always 
reckon  upon  an  old  uncle  or  aunt,  and  when 
one  day  they  '  strike  '  or  die,  then  the  lieutenant 
is  in  a  fix  and  gets  into  debt,  or  he  is  expected  to 
live  upon  air.  People  always  talk  about  the 
foolish  lieutenants,  but  what  about  the  foolish 
parents  who,  to  save  themselves  the  expense 
of  educating  them,  let  them  adopt  a  profession 
in  which  it  is  impossible  to  earn  any  money  and 
the  temptation  to  spend  it  is  tremendous." 

"  Very  well  delivered,"  said  his  father  ;  "  but 
if  the  officer  has  no  money  to  get  his  son  properly 
educated,  as  was  the  case  with  me,  what  is  he  to 
become  ?  " 

"  Fritz  ought  to  have  been  put  into  business," 

201 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

declared  Hildegarde.  "  If  a  man  has  no  means 
he  should  choose  a  career  in  which  he  can  make 
money." 

"  In  theory  that  is  very  beautiful  and  quite 
true,"  answered  Fritz ;  "  and  if  many  fathers 
were  as  wise  as  you,  my  charming  sister,  it  would 
be  better  for  our  officers.  These  first-class  men, 
as  father  called  them  a  little  while  ago,  would 
not  run  around  and  beg  and  borrow  and  get 
credit,  and  try  their  luck  at  cards  in  order  to 
try  and  keep  their  heads  above  water  until  they 
find  a  rich  wife  or  are  ruined." 

The  major  had  listened  to  his  son  very  atten- 
tively, now  he  said  :  "I  am  astonished  that*you, 
an  officer's  son,  should  talk  in  this  way.  Who, 
according  to  your  theory,  should  supply  the 
army  with  officers  if  not  we  ?  " 

"  First  of  all,  only  those  parents  who  have  the 
financial  means  to  provide  for  their  sons'  future  ; 
and  then  no  one  ought  to  be  made  an  officer 
unless  he  has  real  enthusiasm  and  love  for  his 
profession  and  is  willing,  if  need  be,  to  make 
sacrifices  and  bear  deprivations  for  its  sake. 
But  you  cannot  expect  that  a  kid  who  is  sent  to 
a  college  at  eight  should  know  if  he  has  any  real 
liking  for  the  work  of  a  soldier.  He  ought  not 
to  choose  a  profession  until  he  is  able  to  judge 
for  himself  to  a  certain  extent ;  a  father  ought 
not  to  send  his  son  into  the  army  from  motives 
of  economy,  or  God  knows  what  other  reasons, 
and  then  demand  of  him  that  he  should  be  a 

202 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

model  of  steadiness  and  conscientiousness.  I 
know  that  if  I  had  anything  to  say  in  the  matter 
I  should  abolish  the  Cadet  Colleges." 

"  Ho !  ho !  "  burst  out  the  major,  "  you  are 
becoming  worse  and  worse." 

"  It  will  have  to  be,"  continued  Fritz.  "  You 
yourself  pointed  out  to  me  a  little  while  ago  that 
we  do  not  learn  nearly  enough  at  college,  but 
quite  apart  from  that  there  is  another  drawback  ; 
we  go  into  the  army  too  young,  we  are  made 
officers  in  two  years.  Lieutenants  of  eighteen 
and  nineteen  are  by  no  means  rare,  and  we  are 
suddenly  given  a  position  which  no  one  else 
enjoys  at  that  age.  We  get  the  control  of  money 
too  early  without  ever  having  learnt  how  to 
manage  it.  Just  think  of  the  life  at  a  military 
college,  how  we  are  watched  and  protected ! 
One  dare  not  smoke  or  drink  beer  or  go  out 
without  being  invited.  One  has  to  say  how 
long  one  stayed  with  one's  relatives " 

"  But  that  is  all  very  right,"  interposed 
Hildegarde. 

"  It  may  be,  but  it  may  not  be :  the  transi- 
tion to  the  other  kind  of  life  is  too  sudden,  too 
quick.  Twenty-four  hours  after  one  has  left 
this  college  one  is  an  ensign,  and  then  all  at 
once  he  enjoys  that  complete  liberty  against 
which  he  was  so  zealously  guarded  but  a  short  time 
ago.  One  can  eat  and  drink  what  one  likes,  one 
can  go  where  one  will,  in  short,  one  can  enjoy  all 
the  pleasures  of  life  at  one  go  off.  And  so  one 

203 


easily  oversteps  the  limits  and  does  all  sorts  of 
stupid  things  in  the  joy  of  having  escaped  such 
strict  surveillance.  And  who  can  blame  an 
ensign  for  this  ?  The  young  ensign  gets  accus- 
tomed to  leading  an  idle  life,  and  this  continues 
when  he  becomes  a  lieutenant,  only  very  few 
having  the  energy  to  alter.  We  were  lately 
looking  over  the  Army  List  to  see  how  many 
of  our  contemporaries  at  college  were  still  in 
the  army,  and  we  were  simply  astonished  to 
find  how  many  had  vanished.  The  education 
at  the  Cadets'  College  is  answerable  for  this — that 
alone.  At  nineteen  a  man  is  an  officer,  at  three- 
and-twenty  he  gets  his  discharge  ;  that  happens 
more  often  than  people  believe,  and  that  shows 
clearly  that  the  cadets  at  college  have  not  learnt 
the  one  thing  properly  that  they  ought  to  have 
learnt — to  control  themselves  and  to  live  as 
officers  in  a  suitable  manner.  At  college  far  too 
much  stress  is  laid  upon  drill,  exercise,  lessons 
and  other  things,  and  not  nearly  enough  on  the 
education  of  the  youthful  mind.  There  is  no 
education  of  the  individual,  of  the  character  ; 
it's  all  done  en  bloc,  and  the  college  can  never 
take  the  place  of  the  home ;  what  the  child 
sees  and  hears  and  learns  unconsciously 
there,  is  worth  a  thousand  times  more  than 
what  is  so  stringently  imparted  to  him  at 
college." 

"  But   how   can   it   be   altered  ?  "   asked  the 
major,  who  was  deeply  interested  in  the  conver- 

204 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

sation.  The  ladies,  meanwhile,  had  risen  from 
the  table  and  taken  their  needlework. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  acknowledged  Fritz,  "  but 
some  means  may  be  found.  The  Cadets'  Colleges 
must,  as  I  have  said,  be  abolished,  and  every 
officer  must  have  passed  his  matriculation,  as 
was  formerly  the  case  in  the  Marines.  There 
should  be  a  limit  of  age  ;  in  my  opinion  it  should 
be  twenty,  and  then  a  man  could  not  be  a  lieu- 
tenant till  he  was  two-and-twenty  ;  that  is  quite 
early  enough,  if  after  that  age  was  no  more 
taken  into  account.  The  age  limit  must  be 
abolished.  To-day  no  one  who  has  not  reached 
a  certain  rank  by  a  certain  age  has  any  chance  of 
making  a  career  for  himself.  What  is  the  object 
of  keeping  the  army  so  young  by  all  possible 
means  ?  As  a  result  of  this,  every  year  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  men  have  to  seek  for  posts  of 
all  kinds.  New  elements,  new  officials,  new 
views  are  introduced,  and  this  does  not  tend  to 
facilitate  the  training  of  the  troops.  If  a  man 
is  lieutenant  at  twenty-two  he  can  be  a  captain 
at  five-and-thirty,  a  major  at  forty-four,  and  a 
colonel  at  eight-and-forty.  Surely  that  is  young 
enough,  isn't  it  ?  And  if  he  distinguishes  himself 
in  any  way  he  can  get  his  promotion  earlier." 

"  And  would  that  make  for  efficiency  in  time 
of  war  ?  " 

"  You  can  answer  that  better  than  I  can. 
You  were  pensioned  as  a  complete  invalid,  but 
in  spite  of  this  were  you  not  at  your  discharge 

205 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

quite  young  enough  and  active  enough  to  have 
done  duty  on  the  field  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  no,"  grumbled  the  major.  "  I 
will  explain  what  I  mean.  The  chief  army 
doctor  worried  round  me  for  a  long  tune,  but 
he  could  find  no  wound  for  which  he  could  write 
a  certificate,  so  I  assisted  him  a  little  and  men- 
tioned injuries  which  I  did  not  possess,  and  then 
it  was  all  right.  But  I  could  easily  have  held 
out  for  five — no,  ten  years.  Go  into  a  pension 
office  in  any  large  town  and  look  at  the  innumer- 
able officers  who  go  there  regularly  at  the  first 
of  each  month  to  draw  their  pension — a  few 
miserable  pounds.  They  are  all  '  complete 
invalids/  or  who  have  been  pensioned  on  account 
of  their  age.  Yet  health  and  energy  are  to  be 
read  in  their  faces." 

"  That  is  just  what  we  all  say,"  put  in  Fritz. 
"  We  have  been  lately  talking  about  these  things 
in  the  Casino ;  nothing  of  much  value  is  said, 
still  it  is  interesting  what  the  different  officers 
think  about  these  matters.  We  are  unanimous 
in  wanting  to  abolish  the  military  college.  Every 
lieutenant  must  have  passed  his  matriculation 
and  no  one  can  be  an  officer  before  he  is  one- 
and- twenty ;  if  we  once  have  that,  there  will  be 
a  great  alteration  in  the  army." 

There  was  a  long  pause  ;  the  major  was  ruminat- 
ing over  what  Fritz  had  just  said,  then  he  said : 
"  In  many  ways  you  have  really  most  sensible 
ideas." 

206 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

"  That  is  what  I  think,"  Hildegarde  chimed 
in ;  "I  must  compliment  you,  Fritz.  When 
I  hear  you  speak  so  seriously,  and  with  so  much 
knowledge,  I  can  hardly  recognise  you  as  my 
gay  and  frivolous  brother." 

Fritz  bowed  to  his  sister.  "  Very  much 
obliged.  Yes,  I  have  at  intervals  my  lucid 
moments,  they  tell  me  that  in  the  regiment ; 
but,  alas  !  these  mental  illuminations  are  but 
rare.  My  mental  darkness  only  disappears  when 
I  have  drunk  a  good  deal  of  wine ;  then  I  begin 
to  think.  I  haven't  courage  at  other  times. 
From  such  occasions  I  recognise  that  I  am  a 
social  democrat." 

"  But,  Fritz " 

"  Well,  that  is  good !  You  a  lieutenant  and 
a  social  democrat " 

"  Calm  yourselves,"  implored  Fritz.  "  I  have 
not  sworn  brotherhood  with  Bebel.  When  I 
say  I  am  a  social  democrat  I  don't,  of  course, 
mean  that  I  have  subscribed  to  the  programme 
of  that  party,  though  I  must  say  the  division 
of  property  would  suit  me  well,  provided  I  got 
a  good  thing  out  of  it  1  I  only  meant  to  say 
that  I  am  a  dissatisfied  aristocrat,  and  so  are  we 
all,  from  the  colonel  down  to  the  youngest  lieu- 
tenant. One  can't  say  as  much  as  one  would 
like  to,  because  naturally  one  has  to  remember 
the  uniform  one  wears,  but  soon  there  will  be 
complaints  enough,  I  can  assure  you,  not  only 
in  our  regiment  but  in  all." 

207 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  It  was  certainly  not  like  that  in  my  time," 
lamented  the  major  ;  "  discussions  we  had  often, 
of  course,  but " 

"  Formerly  things  were  very  different,  father. 
Formerly  everybody  got  his  majority,  now  one 
may  remain  a  first  lieutenant  for  ever  and  be 
transferred  to  a  district  command  or  some  such 
thing.  Formerly  it  really  was  a  day  of  honour 
and  rejoicing  when  there  was  an  inspection  by 
those  high  in  authority,  but  what  happens 
now  ?  Everybody  trembles  for  weeks  before 
it  takes  place,  and  for  weeks  afterwards,  in  the 
fear  that  someone  may  get  his  discharge  as  a 
result  of  it.  There  used  to  be  a  three-years' 
service,  now  the  men  have  to  get  through  the 
same  amount  of  work  and  drill  in  two  years,  and 
the  military  and  extra-military  duties  of  to-day 
are  not  to  be  compared  with  those  of  ten  years 
ago.  Ah,  and  the  money  question  !  I  am  not 
thinking  of  myself,  I  am  an  extravagant  dog, 
but  now  and  again  someone  attempts  to  live 
on  his  allowance  and  the  authorities  do  all  they 
can  to  put  obstacles  in  his  way.  Now  it's  a 
festival,  now  a  guests'  day,  a  birthday  celebra- 
tion, a  garden  entertainment  and  ladies  invited, 
the  jubilee  of  the  regiment,  a  farewell  dinner ; 
even  if  a  man  wants  to  be  steady  and  economical 
he  can't  get  out  of  the  champagne — he  simply 
must  drink  with  the  others.  Whether  in  former 
times  you  used  so  much  of  your  pay  for  presents, 
flowers,  Casino  subscriptions,  and  a  thousand 

208 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

and  one  other  things,  that  I  don't  know.  And 
then,  the  expense  of  one's  clothes  ;  why,  I  believe 
I  owe  my  tailor  alone  five  thousand  marks. 
There's  always  some  new  fashion  or  other ;  new 
cloaks,  different  caps,  coats,  new  buttons,  new 
scarves,  and  all  the  rest  of  it.  And  who  has  to 
pay  for  all  this  ?  Why,  the  officer,  of  course. 
And  where  does  he  get  his  money  from  ?  Of 
course  that's  his  own  business.  On  the  one  hand 
we  are  warned  to  be  steady  and  not  fling  away 
our  money,  and  on  the  other  we  are  always 
being  dragged  into  fresh  expenses.  It  will  all 
have  to  be  altered,  or  in  ten  years'  time  our 
officers  will  be  ten  times  more  heavily  in  debt 
than  even  to-day.  You,  father,  to-day  were 
blaming  Society  because  we  lived  beyond  our 
means,  but  we  officers  blame  the  authorities. 
There  must  always  be  money  for  regimental 
purposes,  but  nobody  troubles  how  we  live,  and 
then  when  we  get  into  debt  there's  a  devil  of  a 
row  and  we  are  bound  to  pay  up  within  three 
days.  On  such  occasions  we  are  threatened 
with  dismissal,  of  which  the  colonel  also  runs 
the  risk  because  he  was  not  strict  enough  in  pre- 
venting us  from  getting  into  debt.  That  is  what 
happened  to  me  lately.  I  owed  the  Casino  four 
hundred  marks,  and  had  to  face  the  alternative 
of  paying  within  four-and-twenty  hours  or 
undergoing  five  days'  arrest ;  naturally  I  paid, 
and  the  colonel  was  satisfied.  It  didn't  occur 
to  him  to  ask  where  I  had  got  the  money  from." 

209  o 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  And  where  did  you  get  it  from  ?  " 

"  Borrowed  it  from  the  Jews,  of  course.  I 
am  not  a  magician  and  cannot  get  money  from 
the  air.  It's  so  ridiculous.  One  is  forced  to 
contract  new  debts  in  order  to  pay  off  the  old 
ones  which  comes  to  the  colonel's  ears." 

"  Does  your  colonel  know  that  you  have 
debts  ?  " 

"  Of  course  he  knows,  though,  probably,  he 
does  not  guess  how  deeply  I  am  involved.  He 
says  to  himself,  '  What  I  do  not  know  does  not 
concern  me.  I  need  not  trouble  about  things 
which  are  not  officially  brought  to  my  notice.' 
His  own  future  and  his  career  are  of  far  more 
importance  to  him  than  mine.  He  doesn't 
really  care  if  I  go  to  the  devil  or  not ;  but  if  I 
do  go  he  may  go  also  ;  so  he  not  only  shuts 
both  eyes,  but  also  both  ears.  He  doesn't  want 
to  see  or  hear  anything,  for,  of  course,  he  knows 
perfectly  well  that  I  am  not  the  only  one.  If  he 
takes  action  against  one,  he  would  have  to 
against  the  others,  and  he  doesn't  want  to  do 
that.  He  wants  to  become  a  general ;  his  suc- 
cessor can  see  about  the  officers  who  are  in  debt." 

It  was  late  when  they  went  to  bed.  The 
father  and  son  would  have  preferred  to  go  on 
talking  all  through  the  night,  but  the  women  folk 
urged  an  adjournment ;  they  must  remember 
to-morrow  was  the  day  of  the  festivity  which 
would  bring  in  its  train  a  great  deal  of  exertion, 
visits,  and  congratulations  of  all  kinds. 

210 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

But,  alas !  the  day  of  rejoicing  was  not  such 
as  had  been  expected.  It  got  about  that  Hilde- 
garde  had  changed  a  cheque  in  her  father's  name, 
and  the  news  spread  like  lightning  through  the 
little  town.  Everybody  who  knew  of  this  and 
had  any  claim  on  the  major  determined  to  go 
early  in  the  morning,  if  possible,  so  as  to  be  the 
first,  and  ask  him  to  pay  his  account  which  had 
been  owing  for  ages. 

They  were  taking  their  early  cup  of  coffee 
when  the  tradesmen  were  announced.  The  major 
knew  what  was  before  him  and  cursed  and  swore 
like  mad. 

"  That's  what  happens  when  you  women 
interfere  in  money  matters.  How  could  you  be 
so  stupid  as  to  change  a  cheque,  even  if  only 
one  person  was  standing  by  and  saw  you  ?  And 
why  was  it  a  cheque  at  all  ?  Can't  the  Warnows 
pay  the  miserable  few  thousands  (hundreds)  in 
cash  ?  Nobody  would  then  have  heard  of  it ; 
but  now  I  am  obliged  to  pay  out  some  of  the 
money.  But,"  he  roared  out  suddenly,  "  I  won't 
do  it  at  all.  I  did  not  think  to  have  my  sixtieth 
birthday  spoilt  by  that  shameless  crew.  I'll  see 
them  all  to  the  devil  first." 

"  Shall  I  go  and  talk  to  these  people  ?  " 
asked  Fritz.  "  I  have  great  experience  in  these 
things,  and  I  can  safely  say  that  no  one  has 
ever  got  anything  from  me.  I  can't  understand, 
father,  why  you  get  so  excited  over  such  trifles. 
Now,  let  me  go  and  try  what  I  can  do." 

211 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

He  was  about  to  go  out  of  the  room,  but  his 
mother  kept  him  back. 

"  That  won't  do,  Fritz.  You  don't  know 
how  often  the  bailiff  from  the  court  has  been  here. 
Things  have  gone  so  far — I  mean — well,  you 
will  have  to  know  it — up  till  now  he  has  only 
sealed  some  of  our  furniture  and  has  not  sold 
any ;  but  if  the  authorities  hear  that  we  really 
have  money  he  will  have  to  sell  us  up.  He 
told  us  that,  and  we  wanted  to  spare  papa  that 
to-day." 

"  Above  all  things,  certainly."  Fritz  had 
become  serious,  and  involuntarily  he  looked 
round  to  see  the  seals. 

"  He  has  only  put  on  seals  where  they  could 
not  be  seen,"  the  mother  whispered  to  her  son ; 
"  on  the  carpets,  the  piano,  the  bookshelf,  the 
pictures — briefly,  all  the  things  that  stand  against 
the  walls.  Oh,  it's  frightful !  "  and  she  began 
to  cry. 

"  Yes,  that's  right,  cry !  "  roared  the  major. 
"  Formerly  on  one's  birthday  one  was  serenaded ; 
now,  when  one  is  old  and  grey,  one's  wife  weeps 
because  there  is  no  money  and  the  creditors  are 
outside  the  door.  A  man  must  live  to  be  sixty 
to  enjoy  such  an  honour." 

He  stamped  to  and  fro  cursing,  listening 
from  time  to  time  to  the  people  who  were  in 
the  vestibule  waiting  for  him.  Suddenly  he 
stood  in  front  of  Hildegarde  and  put  his  hand 
on  her  shoulder. 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

"  Eh,  Hilda,  you  see  we  cannot  wait  much 
longer  for  your  lover.  Bring  him  soon,  before 
it  is  too  late,  before  that  rascally  crew  has  taken 
everything  and  sold  us  up  and  I  and  your  mother 
are  cast  into  the  street." 

His  words  expressed  such  bitterness  and  such 
despair  that  Hildegarde  forgot  all  about  her 
own  feelings  and  how  she  was  looked  upon  as 
deliverer,  and  in  grief  for  her  parents  she  burst 
into  tears. 

"  Number  two,"  scolded  the  major.  "  That's 
right." 

"  Don't  be  unjust,  father.  You  can't  blame 
mother  and  Hildegarde  for  being  sad.  The 
affair  is  more  than  unpleasant  to  me  even." 

"  Then  you  had  better  begin  and  cry,"  cursed 
the  old  man,  whose  veins  stood  out  on  his  fore- 
head. 

"  I  am  not  thinking  of  myself  but  how  these 
people  can  be  satisfied  in  some  way  or  other.  I 
did  not  know  that  any  of  the  furniture  was  sealed. 
You  ought  to  have  told  me  so."  After  a  slight 
pause  he  asked,  "  How  much  is  it  for  ?  " 

"  Only  two  thousand  marks." 

"  This  must  be  paid  first  of  all,  and  this  very 
day." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  think  so.  The  seals  have  been 
all  right  there  for  a  long  time." 

"  In  spite  of  that  the  two  thousand  marks 
must  be  paid,"  continued  Fritz  with  deter- 
mination and  energy,  "  and  if  you  cannot  pay 

213 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

it   I  must.     I  lately  won  a  few  thousands  at 
cards,  and  I  will  give  you  a  couple." 

The  major  stared  at  his  son.  "  And  what  is 
the  reason  of  this  generosity,  may  I  ask  ?  " 

"  Consideration  for  myself  and  Hildegarde. 
If  it  were  conceivable  that  it  should  ever  be 
known  in  my  regiment  how  matters  stood  with 
you  here,  I  should  not  only  lose  my  position, 
but  also  my  credit,  and  that  might  have  conse- 
quences which  would  not  be  pleasant  for  either 
of  us.  And  one  must  consider  Hildegarde. 
Just  imagine  if  in  the  next  few  weeks,  or  perhaps 
in  the  next  few  days,  Hilda's  prospective  lover 
were  to  pay  you  a  visit  and  by  some  unfortunate 
chance  caught  sight  of  the  seals.  The  fellow 
would  have  to  be  a  downright  idiot  if  this  did 
not  open  his  eyes  to  the  fact  that  he  was  only 
being  married  for  his  money.  And  this  know- 
ledge must  not  come  before  the  marriage,  it 
must  be  prevented  at  all  cost.  If  you  can't 
do  this  I  must." 

The  major  had  sunk  into  a  chair  and  was 
gazing  gloomily  in  front  of  him,  the  two  ladies 
were  softly  crying. 

Fritz  got  up  and  went  to  his  mother.  "  I 
will  go  and  talk  to  these  people.  Will  you  give 
me  the  six  thousand  marks,  it  can't  be  helped." 

"  The  dear  money  !  "  The  major  groaned  ; 
for  the  first  time  for  many  a  day  he  had  been 
able  to  sleep  the  whole  night  through  without 
being  awakened  by  anxious  thoughts.  The 

214 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

consciousness  of  having  six  thousand  marks  in  the 
house  in  cash  had  filled  him  with  great  joy  and 
given  him  a  feeling  of  tranquillity  and  security. 
And  now  the  people  stood  outside  who  were  to 
take  his  money  from  him. 

"  Fritz,"  he  said,  turning  to  his  son,  "  you 
promise  me  to  do  the  best  you  can  with  these 
people.  Don't  pay  it  all  away  or  we  shall  not 
have  any  money  in  the  house." 

"  I  can  manage  with  the  housekeeping  till 
the  first,"  the  mother  said ;  "I  have  still  a 
hundred  marks." 

"  And  I  can  give  you  another  hundred, 
mamma,"  put  in  Hildegarde.  "  Aunt  gave  me 
more  than  I  needed  for  travelling  expenses." 

"  And  I  will  contribute  a  hundred  marks 
also,"  said  Fritz.  He  had  really  no  feeling 
for  his  family,  but  the  poverty  that  reigned 
seemed  to  him  so  horribly  unsuited  to  their 
social  position  he  must  give  a  helping  hand, 
partly  indeed  on  his  own  account,  so  as  not 
to  be  the  son  of  a  beggar. 

Fritz  turned  to  the  door  once  again.  "  You 
are  quite  sure  you  want  me  to  talk  to  these 
people,  father,  or  would  you  rather " 

But  the  major  declined.  "  No,  no,  you  go, 
I  should  get  into  a  temper ;  do  what  you  can." 

Fritz  went  into  the  next  room  and  summoned 
all  the  creditors  who  were  standing  outside. 
They  were  all  workmen  or  tradesmen.  All  knew 
Fritz  personally,  and  greeted  him  in  a  friendly 

215 


fashion  and  were  very  deferential  in  their 
behaviour. 

In  the  regiment  Fritz  was  regarded  as  ex- 
cessively haughty  and  proud,  but  when  he  wanted 
to  get  anything  out  of  a  person  he  could  be 
exceedingly  amiable.  He  shook  hands  now  with 
all,  asked  after  the  health  of  their  families,  and 
now  and  again  joked  with  them.  He  had 
indeed  already  half  won  the  battle  when  he  said, 
"  My  father,  who  is  not  feeling  very  well  to-day, 
has  requested  me  to  speak  to  you  and  to  settle 
your  accounts  so  far  as  he  is  in  a  position  to  do 
so.  There  are,  indeed,  rather  a  lot,"  he  said 
laughingly,  "  but  we  shall  be  able  to  make 
an  arrangement ;  naturally  we  cannot  pay  all 
at  once.  You  know  that  in  consequence  of  the 
failure  of  his  bank  my  father  has  lost  a  great 
deal " — then  he  went  on  with  his  fabrications — 
"  but  within  the  next  few  months  we  shall  get 
a  large  sum  of  money  from  the  family  estates, 
and  then  each  of  you  will  be  paid  to  the  uttermost 
farthing.  To-day  we  can  only  pay  part,  and  I 
am  sure  you  will  all  agree  to  this.  You  know, 
perhaps,  that  to-day  my  father  is  celebrating 
his  sixtieth  birthday,  and  I  am  sure  you  would 
not  wish  to  spoil  the  day  when  he  might  be  so 
happy  with  his  wife  and  children." 

No,  they  did  not  want  to  do  that ;  naturally 
they  knew  the  money  would  be  quite  safe,  only 
they  had  heard  that  yesterday  the  respected 
major  had  received  a  large  sum  of  money,  and 

216 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

they  only  wanted  to  see  if  they  could  not  secure 
a  little  of  it. 

Fritz  listened  to  these  words  with  joy  ;  these 
people  were  much  more  sensible,  and  above 
all  much  more  respectful  than  he  had  dared  to 
hope ;  mentally  he  put  aside  a  thousand  marks 
for  his  parents.  If  he  divided  five  thousand 
marks  (-£250)  among  these  tradespeople  they 
would  be  more  than  satisfied. 

He  had  the  bills  given  to  him,  and  a  joyful 
smile  played  on  his  lips  when  he  added  up  the 
amounts ;  the  whole  lot  amounted  to  only 
ten  thousand  marks  (£500).  "  I  shall  save 
another  thousand,"  he  thought  to  himself ; 
then  he  called  up  each  one  singly,  spoke  to  him 
cheerfully  and  arranged  things  as  he  wanted.  All 
declared  that  they  were  quite  satisfied  to  have 
received  a  fourth  of  their  accounts,  the  remainder 
to  be  paid  within  three  months. 

It  was  a  good  hour  before  Fritz  had  finished ; 
from  each  he  exacted  a  written  statement  that 
he  would  not  press  for  money  during  the  next 
few  months  nor  send  in  any  accounts.  To  keep 
the  people  in  a  good  humour  all  this  time  he  had 
given  them  wine  and  offered  them  cigars.  They 
took  the  wine  and  with  Fritz  drank  his  father's 
health,  but  they  did  not  venture  to  smoke  in 
the  presence  of  the  honoured  lieutenant  and 
in  the  respected  major's  apartments. 

At  last  they  departed ;  Fritz  shook  hands 
with  them  once  again,  and  with  a  friendly  word 

217 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

they  all  parted  good  friends.  From  the  passage 
the  laughter  of  the  departing  ones  penetrated 
into  the  breakfast-room,  where  the  others  were 
awaiting  the  result  of  the  interview. 

Beaming  with  joy,  Fritz  returned  and  laid 
the  two  thousand  marks  on  the  table.  "  Well, 
father,  I've  rescued  that  for  you  ;  for  the  present 
they  are  all  satisfied  and  for  three  months  you 
have  a  respite.  Before  the  time  is  up  Hilda 
will  long  have  been  married,  and  even  if  she  is 
only  engaged  I'll  manage  to  get  you  the  few 
pounds.  I've  done  more  difficult  things  than 
that.  But  one  thing  I  should  like  to  know, 
father :  surely  these  few  debts,  amounting  in 
all  to  ten  thousand  marks,  didn't  deprive  you 
of  your  night's  rest  ?  I  thought  they  would 
have  been  at  least  seventy  or  eighty  thousand." 

"  I  thought  so  too ;  perhaps  there  are  a  lot 
more.  I  never  had  the  courage  to  add  them 
all  up." 

"  Unless  one  can  pay  them  there's  not  much 
point  in  doing  so,"  said  Fritz,  with  indifference ; 
then,  partly  out  of  curiosity,  partly  from  real 
interest,  he  asked,  "  What  other  debts  have 
you  then,  father  ?  " 

"  All  over  the  place ;  the  bills  are  turning 
grey  with  age,  and  some  indeed  are  really  prim- 
eval." 

"  In  that  case  a  lot  of  them  are  no  longer 
valid." 

"  But  Fritz,"  cried  Hildegarde,  "  you  surely 

218 


AN  ARISTOCRATIC  HOUSEHOLD 

wouldn't  take  advantage  of  that  ?     The  trades 
men  must  have  their  money." 

"  Very  easy  to  say  that,  but  where  is  it  to 
come  from  ?  "  objected  the  major.  "  I  haven't 
any  money — at  any  rate,  not  for  the  moment." 

"  Have  you  any  bills  or  I  O  U's  out  ?  "  in- 
quired Fritz.  "  You  must  not  be  offended 
with  me  for  asking  you  this,  but  I  have  been 
to  a  certain  extent  your  business  agent  to-day. 
I  should  like  to  have  a  clear  idea  of  how  matters 
stand." 

"  No,"  his  father  assured  him,  "  I  have  never 
given  any  of  these,  but  I  am  indebted  to  all 
my  friends ;  one  for  four  thousand  (£250), 
another  three  thousand  (£150),  a  third  a  thousand 
(£50),  and  so  on." 

"  Oh,  well,  you  need  not  grow  grey  because 
of  these ;  whoever  lends  money  to  a  friend 
knows  perfectly  well  in  nine  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  cases  out  of  a  thousand  he  will  not  get 
it  back  again.  And  I  really  see  absolutely  no 
reason  why  you  should  be  the  exception.  Who 
ever  lent  you  money  knew  perfectly  well  he 
would  not  see  it  again." 

"  Yes,  yes,  that  is  all  very  well,"  grumbled 
the  old  major,  "  but  the  people  only  lent  me 
the  money  because  I  told  them  of  Hildegarde's 
prospective  engagement . ' ' 

"  Father,  really "   cried  Hildegarde.    She 

blushed   crimson   and  was   beside   herself  with 
indignation.     "  It  is  not  enough  that  you  think 

219 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

and  talk  about  nothing  else  but  my  possible 
engagement,  but  you  must  also  tell  strangers 
about  it  in  order  to  get  credit." 

The  mother  laid  her  hand  gently  on  her 
shoulder.  "  But,  Hilda,  you  must  not  take  it 
in  that  way  ;  we  only  spoke  about  it  to  intimate 
friends." 

The  major  also  tried  to  calm  her,  but  Hilde- 
garde  would  not  be  pacified.  "  I  cannot  go  out 
in  the  town  any  more,  you  have  made  it  im- 
possible for  me  here.  Now  I  understand  the 
veiled  allusions  of  mamma's  friends  yesterday 
when  they  inquired  so  sympathetically  after  my 
health.  I  shall  go  away  to-morrow  ;  I  will  not 
stay  here  a  day  longer." 

"  This  is  certainly  a  delightful  birthday  cele- 
bration," snarled  the  major,  and  he  struck  the 
table  a  violent  blow  with  his  fist. 

"  Hildegarde  will  be  all  right  again  directly," 
said  Fritz,  "  she's  a  sensible  girl ;  naturally 
these  money  complications  have  upset  her.  This 
afternoon  she  will  be  her  old  self  again.  Now 
I  must  go  and  arrange  matters  with  the  bailiff 
or  the  champagne  will  not  taste  good." 

But  although  by  the  afternoon  the  seals  had 
been  removed  from  the  furniture  the  champagne 
somehow  or  other  was  not  successful.  A  dark 
shadow  lay  over  the  house,  and  remained  there, 
and  when  at  last  the  major  went  to  bed  he  had 
to  confess  that  he  had  never  spent  so  sad  a  birth- 
day as  the  day  when  he  reached  the  age  of  sixty. 

220 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

LITTLE  Willberg  had  shot  himself ! 

There  was  sincere  sorrow  in  the  regiment 
at  the  loss  of  their  comrade,  who  had  been 
the  universal  favourite,  yet,  in  spite  of  that, 
they  could  not  forgive  him  for  not  having  taken 
his  discharge  before  taking  his  life.  Twenty- 
four  hours  sooner  or  later  could  have  made  no 
difference  to  him ;  within  that  time  he  could 
have  managed  it.  They  could  not  understand 
why  he  had  shown  so  little  consideration  for 
the  regiment  he  had  so  dearly  loved  and  of  which 
he  had  always  been  so  proud.  The  act  of  one 
officer  affects  the  credit  of  all ;  Willberg  under- 
stood that  perfectly  well,  and  he  ought  to  have 
remembered  that  his  suicide  would  cause  all 
kinds  of  unpleasantness  to  the  regiment. 

This  was  the  universal  view,  and  how  right 
it  was  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  Berlin 
newspapers  were  full  of  little  Willberg's  death. 
An  attempt  had  been  made  to  hush  up  the 
affair,  and  at  the  request  of  the  colonel,  the 
adjutant,  Count  Wettborn,  had  visited  all  the 

321 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

newspaper  offices  and  requested  that  nothing 
might  be  published  concerning  the  sad  affair. 
The  count  had  been  to  all  except  the  two  social 
democratic  organs  ;  he  could  not  bring  his  mind 
to  visiting  them ;  and  it  was  just  these  two 
newspapers  that  daily  published  fresh  revelations 
concerning  the  life  of  the  dead  man.  There 
came  to  light,  indeed,  more  than  had  been 
feared.  The  "  Golden  Butterflies  "  were  beside 
themselves  with  rage  that  all  these  things  which, 
in  their  opinion,  were  nobody's  concern  but  their 
own,  should  be  published,  and  the  worst  of  it 
was  that  from  the  history  of  the  dead  man's 
life  people  drew  unfavourable  conclusions  con- 
cerning the  spirit  and  mode  of  life  of  the  "  Golden 
Butterflies." 

The  "  Golden  Butterflies "  were  simply  dis- 
tracted ;  why  should  this  thing  have  happened 
to  them  ? — to  them  who  were  so  proud  and 
distinguished,  and  who  possessed  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  most  aristocratic  of  infantry 
regiments  ?  And  why,  again,  should  it  have 
been  an  officer  belonging  to  the  highest  nobility 
who  gave  people  the  opportunity  of  criticising 
the  regiment  ?  The  newspapers,  of  course,  found 
this  an  excellent  occasion  for  renewing  their 
attacks  on  the  aristocracy  and  declaring  that 
the  people  with  blue  blood  in  their  veins  were 
not  a  whit  better  or  more  to  be  respected  than 
those  who  had  to  be  content  with  miserable 
red  blood. 

222 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

But  the  worst  of  all  was  that  what  the  news- 
papers reported,  unfortunately,  approached  the 
truth.  Willberg  must  have  been  living  fright- 
fully extravagantly,  and  he  was  mixed  up  in  highly 
disreputable  affairs.  Much  was  revealed  of  which 
his  fellow-officers  had  had  no  idea.  The  colonel 
went  about  in  a  state  of  great  excitement,  curs- 
ing and  swearing.  On  the  day  after  the  sorrowful 
event  there  was  a  regular  attack  on  the  regi- 
mental bureau  by  people  who  had  claims  on 
Willberg,  and  who  wanted  to  know  who  would 
settle  them,  and  when  after  this  nobody  else 
was  admitted  to  the  barracks,  there  were  showers 
of  letters  which  disclosed  more  or  less  discredit- 
able episodes  in  Willberg's  life. 

Why,  oh  why,  should  it  have  been  an  aristocrat 
who  drew  down  upon  the  regiment  such  scandal 
and  rebuke  ?  Nobody  said  it  aloud,  but  every- 
body thought  the  same  thing.  If  only  it  had 
been  Winkler  instead  of  little  Willberg  who  had 
shot  himself,  how  satisfied  they  would  have  been  ; 
they  could  have  struck  an  attitude  and  declared, 
with  great  pride,  "  You  see,  we  nobles  are  the 
better  men."  But  it  was  the  aristocrat  who  was 
dead,  and  the  plebeian  was  still  alive  ! 

None  of  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  "  knew  what 
it  was  that  had  so  suddenly  driven  Willberg  to 
death,  and  he  had  not  left  a  letter  or  a  line  behind 
which  gave  the  slightest  clue  to  it. 

As  a  matter  of  course  the  colonel  inquired  of 
his  fellow-officers  whether  any  of  them  could 

223 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

give  him  any  information,  but  the  "  Golden 
Butterflies  "  looked  at  one  another  and  shrugged 
their  shoulders.  All  of  them  knew  of  course 
that  little  Willberg  had  lost  money  at  cards,  but 
that  had  often  happened,  and  why  should  he, 
therefore,  have  shot  himself  on  this  particular 
occasion  rather  than  earlier  ?  And  this  view  was 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  the  Uhlan,  when 
questioned,  had  declared  that  Willberg  had 
paid  him  his  gaming  debts  shortly  before  his 
death.  As  a  matter  of  fact  this  was  not  the 
truth ;  on  the  contrary,  the  Uhlan  had  emphati- 
cally reminded  Willberg  that  the  date  for  the 
payment  of  the  debt  had  passed,  and  had  ad- 
monished him  that  in  affairs  of  this  kind,  which 
were  designated  debts  of  honour,  etiquette 
demanded  the  most  scrupulous  punctuality.  It 
was  after  this  that  Willberg  shot  himself,  and 
although  the  Uhlan  need  hardly  reproach  him- 
self with  having  driven  a  comrade  to  death, 
still  he  was  very  glad  that  the  affair  had  not  been 
made  public. 

On  the  day  after  the  burial  it  occurred  to  the 
adjutant  of  the  regiment  to  ask  Willberg's  man 
if  he  could  give  any  information  in  the  matter. 
But  he  could  disclose  nothing,  although  he  was 
subjected  to  a  formal  examination ;  at  last, 
however,  he  remembered  something.  "  Now  I 
recollect,  sir,  one  evening  I  took  a  letter  to 
Lieutenant  Winkler,  and  my  master  waited  at 
home  for  the  answer,  and  when  it  did  come  he 

224 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

was  greatly  agitated.  I  had  never  seen  him 
before  like  this.  I  heard  him  walking  up  and 
down  for  hours,  and  next  morning  when  I  went 
to  call  him  he  had  not  been  to  bed  at  all,  but 
was  lying  on  the  sofa  asleep." 

"Do  you  know  what  was  in  the  letter  you 
took  to  Lieutenant  Winkler  ?  ' 

He  could  give  no  information  on  this  point, 
so  he  was  dismissed,  and  the  adjutant  told  the 
colonel  what  he  had  just  learnt.  The  latter 
walked  about  in  agitation. 

"  How  long  has  Lieutenant  Winkler  been  on 
furlough  ?  " 

The  count  consulted  the  calendar.  "  He  has 
to  announce  his  return  to-morrow  mid-day  !  " 

"So  much  the  better,  otherwise  I  should  have 
had  to  recall  him  by  telegraph.  The  authorities 
ask  for  explicit  details  concerning  Willberg's 
death.  Till  now  I  was  confronted  by  a  riddle  ; 
perhaps  Winkler  can  throw  some  light  on  the 
subject." 

George  had  already  heard  of  Willberg's  death 
while  he  was  in  Paris,  and  although  at  first  the 
news  had  shocked  him  he  could  not  pretend  that 
he  was  deeply  grieved.  Almost  hourly  he  had 
thanked  Olga  for  having  persuaded  him  to  take 
this  journey.  He  could  not  hide  from  himself 
that  in  spite  of  the  best  resolutions  he  would  not 
have  been  able  to  meet  Willberg  calmly. 

He  had  also  told  himself  hourly  that  even 
when  he  returned  he  did  not  think  he  could  see 

225  P 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

him  in  cold  blood,  and  thus  to  a  certain  extent 
he  breathed  more  freely  when  he  heard  of  Will- 
berg's  death,  and  he  was  almost  grateful  to 
Heaven  for  having  spared  him  a  future  meeting. 
It  was  sad,  of  course,  that  Willberg  had  been 
obliged  to  take  his  life  when  he  was  still  a  young 
man,  but  as  far  as  the  army  and  the  officers 
were  concerned  his  death  was  no  loss.  He  had 
dreaded  meeting  him  again,  but  now  he  returned 
to  the  garrison  quite  cheerfully.  Fourteen  happy 
days  lay  behind  him  ;  Olga  and  he  had  thoroughly 
enjoyed  themselves  in  beautiful  Paris  ;  his  fur- 
lough had  been  a  real  time  of  refreshment,  and 
he  was  quite  pleased  to  return  to  his  duties  and 
his  active  life. 

"  The  colonel  desires  that  Lieutenant  Winkler 
will  speak  to  him  to-morrow  at  eleven  in  the 
regimental  bureau."  For  a  moment  George  was 
somewhat  alarmed.  Could  the  colonel  have 
found  out  that  he  had  been  in  France,  in  Paris, 
without  permission  ?  Well,  the  punishment  for 
that  was  not  severe,  at  the  worst  a  few  day's 
confinement  to  one's  own  lodgings,  which  would 
not  destroy  the  memory  of  the  delightful  days 
he  had  just  enjoyed. 

The  first  words,  however,  which  the  colonel 
addressed  to  him  next  morning  showed  him 
that  his  fears  were  groundless.  He  inquired 
how  he  had  enjoyed  the  Riviera,  and  then  he 
came  at  once  to  the  point.  He  told  him  what 
Willberg's  former  servant  had  said,  and  begged 

226 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

George  to  give  him  any  further  information  he 
had.  "  Above  all  it  is  most  important  for  me 
to  know  what  was  in  the  letter  which  Willberg 
sent  you.  Can  you,  and  will  you,  give  me  infor- 
mation concerning  this  ?  " 

George  considered  for  a  moment,  then  he 
said  :  "  As  I  was  not  expressly  pledged  to  keep 
silence  I  do  not  think  I  shall  be  committing  an 
indiscretion  if  I  tender  an  account  of  it." 

"  Have  you  still  Willberg's  letter  ?  " 

"  No,  sir  ;  but  I  perfectly  remember  what  it 
contained.  Lieutenant  von  Willberg  wrote  to 
me  that  he  had  been  gambling  and  required  five 
thousand  marks  (£250)  to  settle  a  debt  of  honour. 
If  he  did  not  get  the  money  by  some  means  or 
other  he  said  he  should  have  to  put  a  bullet 
through  his  head  to  vindicate  his  honour." 

"  This  confounded  gambling  !  "  cursed  the 
colonel.  "  Who  will  extirpate  it  root  and 
branch  ?  "  After  a  slight  pause  he  asked  :  "  Did 
you  give  him  the  money  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  The  gambling  debt  was  paid  by  some  other 
means,"  interposed  Count  Wettborn ;  "  the 
colonel  therefore  need  not  have  any  anxiety 
about  that  matter." 

The  colonel  breathed  more  freely.  "  Well,  I 
am  glad  of  that."  Then  he  turned  to  George 
again  :  "  You  did  not  give  him  the  money  then  ? 
Might  I  ask  why  ?  Do  not  misunderstand  me  ; 
it  is,  of  course,  your  own  affair  whether  you 

227 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

lent  Willberg  the  money  or  not ;  but  I  thought 
perhaps  you  would  have  given  it  him  on  this 
occasion.  But  perhaps  you  did  not  think  he 
was  serious  in  saying  he  would  take  his  life  ?  " 

"  I  must  confess  that  I  did  not  think  about 
it  at  all.  I  was  just  about  to  assist  Lieutenant 
Willberg  when  I  learnt  something  about  him 
that  made  it  quite  impossible  for  me  to  do  so." 

"  And  what  was  that  ?  " 

The  colonel  and  Count  Wettborn  looked  at 
George  expectantly. 

"  I  can  only  answer  in  general  terms,  as  I  am 
pledged  to  silence." 

"  To  the  dead  ?  " 

"  No,  to  a  living  person  to  whom  I  am  in- 
debted for  my  information."  And  after  a  pause 
he  continued  :  "  Just  as  I  was  about  to  send 
Lieutenant  Willberg  the  money  he  asked  for, 
I  learned  quite  by  chance  that  he  had  behaved 
to  a  young  lady,  who  is  intimately  connected 
with  me,  in  such  a  manner  that  any  Court  of 
Honour  must  have  sentenced  him  to  immediate 
dismissal  in  case  the  matter  became  public. 
From  that  moment  I  was  no  longer  able  to  regard 
Lieutenant  Willberg  as  an  officer  and  a  man  of 
honour,  and  I  only  assist  such." 

The  colonel  was  greatly  disturbed  by  what 
George  had  said.  The  affair  was  extremely 
unpleasant  to  him,  and  who  knew  what  else 
might  come  out  ?  He  would  have  preferred 
not  to  have  asked  any  more  questions,  but  that 

228 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

would  not  do,  so  he  said :  "  You  know  that  it 
was  your  duty  to  inform  the  Court  of  Honour  of 
the  dishonourable  acts  of  a  fellow-officer  which 
came  to  your  ears." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  should  certainly  have  done  so  in 
this  case  if  I  had  not  been  obliged  to  consider 
the  young  lady,  who  would  have  been  greatly 
compromised  if  I  had  laid  information  before  the 
Court  of  Honour.  I  did  not  think  I  was  justified 
in  doing  this ;  moreover,  as  I  had  been  for  so 
comparatively  a  short  time  in  the  regiment,  I  did 
not  want  to  be  the  cause  of  an  investigation 
before  a  Court  of  Honour  of  the  conduct  of  a 
fellow-officer  who  was  universally  loved.  I  asked 
for  leave  of  absence  so  that  I  might  consider 
calmly  whether  I  could  justify  my  silence  to  my- 
self and  to  my  fellow-officers,  and  in  my  agitated 
state  of  mind  I  wanted  to  avoid  Lieutenant 
Willberg.  Although  I  have  a  considerable  amount 
of  self-control  there  would  have  been  a  quarrel 
between  him  and  me,  and  a  duel  would  have 
been  unavoidable — provided,  of  course,  that  the 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Honour  considered  that  an 
honourable  man  could  send  Lieutenant  Willberg 
a  challenge." 

"  Lieutenant  Winkler  !  "  cried  the  colonel, 
astounded.  "  An  officer  in  my  regiment,  belong- 
ing to  one  of  the  noblest  families  in  the  land, 
not  fit  to  be  challenged  by  a  man  of  honour — 
pray  consider  what  you  are  saying." 

"  I  am.     Indeed,  it  is  no  pleasant  matter  to 

229 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

make  these  charges  against  a  dead  man  who  can 
no  longer  defend  himself." 

"  Then  why  do  you  do  so  ?  " 

"  To  show  you  that,  as  an  honourable  man, 
I  could  not  have  acted  otherwise  in  refusing  to 
give  Willberg  the  money." 

The  words  sounded  so  calm,  so  determined, 
yet  so  honourable  and  straightforward,  that 
the  colonel  rose  and  shook  hands  with  George. 
"  I  not  only  believe  what  you  say,  but  I  am 
absolutely  convinced  of  it.  So  far  as  I  can 
judge,  you  appear  to  have  acted  perfectly  rightly, 
and  I  thank  you  for  not  having  given  information 
at  once  to  the  Court  of  Honour  without  having 
first  considered  the  whole  question  calmly  and 
quietly.  It  is  never  pleasant  to  hold  an  investi- 
gation on  a  fellow-officer,  especially  when,  as  in 
this  case,  a  good  deal  of  dirt  would  have  been 
thrown  about." 

"  Much  more,"  George  asserted,  "  than  any- 
one would  have  believed  possible." 

"We  will  let  the  matter  rest,  then,"  the 
colonel  decided.  "  Willberg  has  discharged  his 
debts  with  his  life,  you  are  pledged  to  silence, 
so  let  the  secret  remain  with  us." 

After  a  few  more  questions  George  was  dis- 
missed, and  the  colonel  addressed  the  adjutant : 
"  Eh,  what  do  you  say,  my  dear  count  ?  " 

Count  Wettborn  went  on  polishing  his  eye- 
glass, then  he  gave  forth  his  opinion.  "  I  cannot 
help  saying  it,  my  dear  colonel,  but  in  my  opinion 

230 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

Winkler  has  behaved  splendidly  in  the  whole 
affair." 

"  That  is  exactly  my  opinion  also,  but  it  is  a 
great  piece  of  luck  that  he  is  pledged  not  to  speak  ; 
the  less  said  about  the  dead  man  the  better  for 
everybody.  I  can  imagine  how  everybody  in 
the  brigade  and  squadron  is  asking  how  it  is 
possible  for  Willberg  to  lead  such  a  life  without 
my  knowing  anything  about  it.  Mark  my 
words,  count :  if  the  details  of  this  story  were 
known  it  might  cost  us  our  posts,  for  you  as  well 
as  I  would  be  blamed — I,  because  I  was  not 
sufficiently  acquainted  with  what  was  going  on 
among  the  officers  generally  and  with  Willberg 
in  particular.  But  it  is  quite  impossible  for  me 
to  concern  myself  about  each  individual  officer 
and  to  notice  whether  he  is  living  beyond  his 
means  or  not.  That  is  your  work,  my  dear 
count ;  you  ought  to  warn  the  younger  officers 
when  they  are  so  extravagant  and  wild,  and 
if  your  words  are  of  no  avail,  then  you  ought 
to  inform  me,  so  that  I  could  take  steps  against 
the  gentlemen  concerned." 

The  colonel  was  seriously  agitated,  he  really 
feared  he  might  be  dismissed.  While  the  news- 
papers were  publishing  striking  articles  con- 
cerning Lieutenant  Willberg  he  was  summoned  to 
an  audience  with  His  Majesty,  and  His  Majesty 
had  shown  himself  so  ungraciously  disposed 
that  the  colonel  had  had  a  very  bad  quarter-of- 
an-hour.  In  clear,  plain  language  His  Majesty 

231 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

had  said :  "I  must  make  the  colonels  of  my 
regiments  answerable  for  what  happens  among 
the  officers,  and  when  such  things  take  place 
as  those  that  have  just  come  to  light,  it  is  not 
only  a  dishonour  for  the  regiment  on  which  I  have 
bestowed  my  special  favour  and  patronage,  but 
for  the  whole  army." 

The  colonel  could  only  offer  as  an  excuse  the 
fact  that  little  Willberg  had  not  only  been  able 
to  deceive  him  but  also  all  his  fellow-officers,  and 
this  had  somewhat  modified  His  Majesty's  anger. 
"  But  all  the  same  it  is  a  great  scandal."  The 
colonel  was  dismissed  from  his  presence  without 
a  gracious  word,  and  he  trembled  for  his  career, 
but  the  adjutant  was  able  to  console  him.  If  the 
colonel  was  to  have  received  his  discharge  he  would 
have  had  it  already,  and  now  that  the  colonel 
had  seen  His  Majesty  it  was  a  matter  of  perfect 
indifference  what  the  brigades  and  divisions  were 
saying.  Nothing  would  now  happen  to  either  the 
colonel  or  himself ;  indeed,  he  could  not  have 
been  made  personally  responsible  for  what  had 
occurred.  Still,  he  was  very  glad  that  George 
was  pledged  to  silence.  For  otherwise  many 
more  things  connected  with  the  gambling  might 
have  come  to  light.  It  might,  indeed,  have  cost 
him  his  post,  that  he,  in  the  character  of  the 
adjutant  of  the  regiment,  had  not  merely  per- 
mitted gambling  in  the  Casino,  but  had  to  a 
certain  extent  participated  in  it.  He  was  there- 
fore greatly  relieved  that  the  affair  had  blown 

232 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

over  so  easily,  and  he  made  up  his  mind  on  the 
next  suitable  occasion  to  put  in  a  good  word  for 
George  and  to  say  to  the  officers,  "  Boys,  Winkler's 
behaviour  has  been  blameless ;  I  do  not,  of 
course,  wish  to  influence  you  in  any  way,  but  I 
ask  you  to  consider  whether  in  future  you  will 
not  be  on  more  friendly  terms  with  him." 

When  next  day,  however,  the  count  delivered 
his  carefully-thought-out  address  to  the  officers 
he  evoked  no  reciprocal  feeling.  Every  one  of 
them  would  have  done  what  Winkler  did — why 
then  was  there  anything  special  in  it  ?  And 
as  he  could  not  say  what  he  knew  touching 
Willberg's  honour  one  really  could  not  judge 
whether  the  thing  was  so  bad,  and  to  bring 
charges  against  a  man  without  giving  proof 
was  really  not  exactly  the  proper  thing  to  do. 
Either  he  should  have  said  all  or  nothing. 

The  officers  continued  talking  in  this  way, 
and  the  count  heard  their  criticisms  with  sur- 
prise and  annoyance.  At  last  he  said  very 
seriously :  "  Gentlemen,  I  can  only  repeat  that, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  colonel,  and  also  in  my 
own,  Lieutenant  Winkler  has  acted  perfectly 
rightly.  If  you  think  that  you  have  the  slightest 
ground  for  complaint  against  him  I  can  only 
assure  you  you  are  wrong,  and  I  advise  you  most 
earnestly  not  to  express  to  Winkler  the  views 
you  have  just  uttered.  There  might  be  results 
that  would  not  be  agreeable  to  you.  I  beg  you 
to  pay  attention  to  what  I  have  said." 

233 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

The  officers  certainly  did  this,  but  the  count's 
words  did  not  help  to  alter  their  feeling  against 
George.  At  first  his  presence  had  been  merely 
inconvenient  to  them,  now  they  began  to  hate 
him.  It  was  more  than  disagreeable  to  them 
that  it  should  be  George,  an  "  outsider,"  whom 
they  had  tried  to  keep  at  arm's  length,  who 
knew  more  of  Willberg's  life  than  they  them- 
selves did,  who  was  aware  of  things  touching  the 
dead  man's  honour  which  the  colonel  asserted 
it  would  not  be  wise  to  publish.  In  their  opinion 
he  ought  to  have  spoken  to  them  in  confidence  ; 
they  would  have  been  able  to  judge  whether  what 
Willberg  had  done  was  really  so  bad,  and  they 
would  indeed  have  judged  justly,  though  at  the 
same  time  without  harshness,  as  it  concerned  a 
man  of  their  own  class.  Whatever  had  made 
the  count  talk  in  that  way  ?  In  other  words 
he  had  said :  "  You  have  all  reason  to  thank 
Lieutenant  Winkler,  who  went  on  furlough  to 
avoid  a  meeting,  and  in  consequence  a  duel  with 
Lieutenant  Willberg."  That  was  good  indeed. 
They,  the  aristocrats,  were  bound  to  thank  the 
one  and  only  bourgeois  officer  hi  the  regiment. 
The  thought  alone  maddened  them.  And,  be- 
sides, who  knew  that  George  was  really  animated 
by  such  noble  motives  as  he  asserted  when  he 
took  a  holiday.  Perhaps  he  had  simply  said  to 
himself :  "  If  I  see  him  there  will  be  a  duel "  ; 
and  so  he  had  gone  for  a  holiday,  feeling  assured 
that  he  would  never  meet  Willberg  again  alive. 

234 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

He  had  avoided  the  duel  merely  from  cowardice  ; 
he  had  "  funked,"  and  should  such  an  officer  be 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  regiment  ? 

The  more  the  officers  talked  over  the  matter 
the  more  enraged  and  angry  they  became,  and 
the  wine  which  on  such  occasions  was  freely 
passed  round,  increased  their  excitement. 

"  We  must  send  a  deputation  to  the  colonel 
and  inform  him  that  we  decline  to  remain  any 
longer  in  the  same  corps  with  Winkler.  Either 
he  or  we  !"  cried  out  a  hoarse  voice. 

But  the  sensible  ones  among  them  counselled 
discretion ;  things  were  not  so  bad  as  that. 
Everybody  knew  that  His  Majesty  protected 
him,  and  if  he  heard  what  was  the  feeling  about 
Winkler,  and  how  they  had  determined  not  to 
remain  in  the  same  regiment  with  him,  His 
Majesty  would  be  seriously  angry,  especially  as 
recently  His  Majesty  had  not  been  so  well  dis- 
posed towards  the  regiment  as  in  former  days. 
They  must  first  of  all  let  the  grass  grow  on  Will- 
berg's  grave ;  after  that  they  could  deal  with 
George.  For  the  present  there  was  nothing 
further  to  be  done  than  to  show  him  still  more 
clearly  than  ever  that  he  was  not  welcome  among 
the  officers ;  perhaps  he  himself  would  see  about 
getting  his  exchange,  and  if  he,  a  bourgeois,  was 
not  delicate-minded  enough  to  see  this,  it  would 
have  to  be  conveyed  to  him  by  some  means. 

George  soon  noticed  the  feeling  that  existed 
towards  him ;  they  all  treated  him  with  icy 

235 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

politeness,  only  spoke  to  him  when  it  was  abso- 
lutely unavoidable,  and  answered  his  questions 
as  shortly  as  possible. 

For  a  fortnight  George  endured  this  treat- 
ment, then  he  went  to  the  adjutant  of  the  regi- 
ment, the  only  one  who  during  the  whole  time 
had  treated  him  as  a  friend  and  a  comrade. 

"  I  knew  that  you  would  come  to  me,"  said 
the  count.  "  I  have  done  all  in  my  power  to 
remove  the  ill-feeling  which  exists  against  you 
among  the  officers.  I  have  spoken  on  your 
behalf,  and  have  warned  them  not  to  drive  you 
to  extremes,  but,  unfortunately,  without  success. 
There  is  no  need  to  tell  you  that  most  of  them 
blame  you  for  your  behaviour  in  the  Willberg 
affair ;  they  knew  that  he  asked  you  for  money, 
and  they  blame  you  for  not  having  given  it  him. 
They  think  that  if  you  had  done  so,  Willberg 
would  not  have  taken  his  life.  Whether  your 
money  would  really  have  saved  him — his  gambling 
debts  were  paid  it  must  be  remembered — or 
whether  there  were  other  things  that  forced  him 
to  take  his  life,  only  Willberg  himself  could  say, 
and  his  mouth  is  closed  for  ever.  I  have  en- 
deavoured to  make  this  clear  to  the  officers,  but 
in  this  likewise  I  have  been  unsuccessful.  Be- 
sides, they  appear  to  have  all  sorts  of  other 
things  against  you." 

George  sat  opposite  the  adjutant  pale  as  death. 
"  So  that's  it.  I  always  thought  so,  but  I  did  not 
expect  quite  such  heavy  charges.  What  can  I  do  ?  " 

236 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

"  I  have  already  spoken  to  the  colonel.  The 
best  thing  would  be  for  you  to  demand  an  official 
inquiry  before  the  Court  of  Honour  for  yourself, 
but  there  is — I  was  almost  going  to  say  '  alas  ! ' 
— not  the  slightest  ground  for  this.  Perhaps  the 
feeling  against  you  would  alter  if  you  could 
inform  the  colonel  and  myself  what  you  heard 
at  the  last  moment  about  Willberg,  what  pre- 
vented you  from  helping  him,  and  what  ground 
you  had  for  bringing  such  heavy  charges  against 
him.  Cannot  you  tell  me  ?  If  you  like  I  will 
preserve  absolute  silence,  though  of  course  it 
would  be  best  if  everyone  knew  about  it." 

"  I  had  permission  to  inform  you  of  what  I 
learnt  on  that  day  whenever  I  considered  it 
absolutely  necessary.  I  believe  that  now,  for 
my  own  sake,  I  ought  no  longer  to  remain  silent." 
And  then  he  related  what  Olga  had  confided  to 
him. 

The  adjutant  listened  with  great  attention, 
and  when  George  had  finished  he  sat  silent  for  a 
long  time. 

"  May  I  ask  your  opinion  on  the  matter,  sir  ?  " 

The  count  continued  silent,  then  he  jumped 
up  suddenly.  "  Ach,  how  beastly  !  "  He  shook 
his  head  with  disgust,  and  once  more  repeated 
"  How  beastly  !  " 

George  had  been  conscious  from  the  beginning 
of  having  acted  rightly,  but  now  he  breathed 
more  freely  and  said,  "  Then  you  can  understand 
why  I  did  not  give  him  the  money  ?  " 

237 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

The  count  turned  to  him  quickly.  "  Under- 
stand ?  Why,  it  was  a  matter  of  course  that 

yon "  he  tried  to  find  a  name  for  Willberg — 

"  what  I  mean  is,  you  could  not,  of  course,  help 
him  under  the  circumstances,  and  everyone 
will  be  of  the  same  opinion.  I  sympathise  with 
you  and  the  young  lady  ;  it  would  be  extremely 
painful  for  you  if  the  story  were  known,  but 
there  would  be  no  need  to  give  any  name." 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  I  have  the  right  to  ask 
you  to  inform  the  colonel  of  what  I  have  just 
told  you,  but  I  will  be  responsible  for  that. 
Perhaps  he  will  speak  to  the  officers  and  tell 
them  that  he  knows  everything  and  approves 
of  my  conduct.  Perhaps  that  will  have  the 
desired  result." 

"  It  must ;  I  will  ask  the  colonel  to  talk 
seriously  to  the  officers,  and  if  they  will  not 
listen  to  reason  of  their  own  free  will  they  must 
be  forced  to  hear  it." 

"  Thank  you,  sir." 

The  adjutant  turned  to  go  and  shook  hands 
with  George.  It  was  the  first  time  that  the 
count  had  offered  him  his  hand,  the  first  friend- 
liness that  he  had  received  for  a  long  time,  the 
first  time  that  anyone  had  spoken  to  him  warmly 
and  heartily  and  sympathised  with  him.  It 
did  not  alter  things,  of  course,  but  in  spite  of 
that  George  felt  happier  and  gayer  than  he  had 
been  for  a  long  time,  and  the  feeling  of  having 
acted  rightly  in  the  matter  gave  great  satisfaction. 

238 


THE  WAGES  OF  SIN 

Olga  scarcely  recognised  him  when  she  came 
in  that  evening ;  she  had  visited  him  almost 
daily  lately,  for  George  sat  at  home  evening 
after  evening  and  thought  and  meditated  on 
what  would  happen.  He  had  accepted  no  in- 
vitations, gone  nowhere  ;  he  had  lived  in  himself, 
and  spent  much  time  in  writing  long  letters  to 
his  parents,  in  which  he  lamented  his  misfor- 
tunes. It  was  a  necessity  of  his  nature  to  express 
his  feelings  to  the  people  who  cared  for  him,  but 
regularly  as  the  letters  were  written  Olga  threw 
them  into  the  fire.  "  Your  parents  cannot  help 
or  advise  you,"  she  had  answered  him  on  the 
first  occasion  when  she  destroyed  his  letter,  and 
he  saw  that  she  was  quite  right. 

To-day  when  she  came  she  asked  if  he  had 
finished  his  letter,  and  she  could  hardly  believe 
it  when  he  said  he  had  not  written  one  at  all. 

"  Whatever  has  happened  then  ?  " 

He  told  her  of  the  conversation  he  had  had 
with  the  adjutant,  and  asked  her  at  the  end  : 
"  Do  you  think  people  ought  to  know  how  Will- 
berg  treated  you  ?  " 

Olga  sat  thinking  for  a  long  time,  then  she 
said  :  "I  care  for  you  very  much,  I  would  gladly 
give  you  permission  to  speak  openly,  but  it 
would  not  be  wise,  especially  on  your  account. 
What  do  our  relations  with  one  another  matter 
to  the  world  ?  Nobody  expects  a  young  lieu- 
tenant to  be  a  saint,  but  he  need  not  publish  to 
the  whole  world  the  fact  that  he  has  a  '  friend/ 

239 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

and  certainly  no  one  need  know  what  her  name 
is  and  what  has  happened  to  her.  There  would 
be  people  who  would  blame  you,  and  why  should 
you  expose  yourself  to  that  ?  " 

He  kissed  her  on  the  forehead.  "  You  are 
right,  as  you  always  are." 

He  could  not  tell  how  it  was,  but  suddenly 
he  wondered  how  Hildegarde  would  receive  such 
news.  He  had  not  seen  her  since  his  return,  but 
daily  his  thoughts  had  wandered  to  her,  and  now 
he  saw  her  picture  clearly  before  him. 

"  George,  what  are  you  thinking  about  so 
seriously  ?  " 

He  roused  himself  from  his  thoughts  and 
found  Olga  standing  in  front  of  him  and  laughing. 

"  You  have  forgotten  all  about  me,  haven't 
you  ?  For  at  least  a  minute  you  have  been 
staring  straight  in  front  of  you.  What  were 
you  thinking  of  ?  " 

He  did  not  answer  her  question.  "  Don't  be 
angry,"  he  begged,  "  my  thoughts  were  far 
away." 

"  In  beautiful  Paris  ?  " 

He  could  not  help  laughing.  "  Not  exactly, 
but  now  they  have  returned  to  you  once  more," 
and  he  tenderly  drew  her  to  him. 


240 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  HUMILIATION  OF  THE  "  GOLDEN  BUTTER- 
FLIES " 

AN  officers'  meeting  had  been  summoned,  which 
all  the  officers  of  the  regiment  had  been  com- 
manded to  attend,  with  the  single  exception  of 
Lieutenant  Winkler,  and  the  colonel's  behaviour 
to  his  lieutenants  had  been  by  no  means  gentle. 
In  his  present  excited  state  of  mind,  and  with 
the  fear  of  possible  dismissal  after  all,  he  was 
going  to  take  good  care  that  there  should  be  no 
further  scandals  among  his  officers,  and  one 
would  certainly  be  unavoidable  if  their  behaviour 
to  Lieutenant  Winkler  was  not  altered.  He 
therefore  explained  to  them  the  Willberg  affairs 
as  far  as  he  was  justified  in  doing  so,  and  assured 
them  that  George  had  behaved  splendidly — 
indeed,  many  of  them  might  take  an  example 
from  him.  At  first  the  colonel  had  thought  of 
sending  a  deputation  of  three  lieutenants  to 
George  to  convey  to  him  the  expression  of  his 
comrades'  confidence  and  to  apologise  for  their 
unjust  suspicions.  He  had  discussed  at  length 
with  his  adjutant  as  to  whether  George  was  not 

241  Q 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

entitled  to  some  substantial  compensation,  but 
the  latter  had  not  taken  his  view.  To  make 
too  much  of  the  affair  was  to  do  more  harm  than 
good.  If  the  colonel  insisted  upon  an  official 
apology  great  indignation  would  be  once  more 
aroused ;  the  officers'  rage  would  burst  forth 
anew,  and  they  would  consider  compensation 
as  a  still  further  humiliation,  for  George  was  only 
a  bourgeois,  and  it  is  always  very  disagreeable 
for  an  aristocrat  to  say  to  such  a  one,  "  I  did 
you  an  injustice."  After  much  discussion  the 
colonel  agreed  to  this  view,  and  so  he  only  de- 
livered a  thundering  philippic,  ending  with  the 
words  :  "I  have  commanded  Count  Wettborn 
to  inform  me  daily  concerning  your  behaviour 
to  Lieutenant  Winkler ;  if  a  single  complaint 
reaches  me,  if  I  hear  that  in  the  future  any  one 
of  you  behaves  in  such  a  way  as  is  not  permissible 
under  any  circumstances,  I  shall  cause  the 
officer  concerned  to  be  sent  to  a  frontier  garrison 
within  three  days.  I  swear  to  this." 

This  had  its  effect ;  at  least,  inasmuch  as 
in  future  the  officers  did  not  dare  to  oppose 
Lieutenant  Winkler  openly  nor  to  make  hostile 
speeches  and  remarks  against  him.  Their  feeling 
was  not  altered,  and  they  did  not  become  more 
friendly  because  of  the  colonel's  discourse,  but 
they  kept  their  thoughts  to  themselves,  and 
behaved  towards  him  in  a  more  polite  fashion,  if, 
perhaps,  a  not  more  friendly  one.  It  was  still 
very  little,  indeed,  that  George  was  offered  in 

242 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

the  way  of  friendship,  but  it  was  yet  considerably 
more  than  he  had  lately  dared  to  hope.  The 
present  behaviour  of  his  fellow-officers  filled  him 
with  a  certain  satisfaction,  and  being  a  generous- 
minded  man,  he  was  almost  sorry  that  they 
had  had  to  endure  such  harsh  words  on  his 
account ;  but  in  his  bearing  and  in  his  inter- 
course with  them  he  betrayed  neither  the  one 
feeling  nor  the  other.  He  was  polite  and  amiable, 
but  at  the  same  time  independent  and  self- 
reliant,  as  he  had  been  from  the  beginning. 
He  behaved,  indeed,  as  if  he  had  no  idea  of  what 
had  happened  at  the  officers'  meeting,  and 
officially  he  did  not  know,  for  Count  Wettborn 
had  not  thought  it  advisable  to  inform  him 
directly  what  had  been  said  regarding  him  to 
the  others ;  that  would  have  been  too  great  a 
humiliation  of  the  aristocracy  in  the  eyes  of  the 
middle  class.  The  fact  that  George  feigned 
ignorance  so  cleverly,  that  not  by  a  single  word 
did  he  allude  to  their  former  suspicions  of  him, 
that  he  bore  no  grudge  against  anyone,  and 
that  though  he  had  received  ample  satisfaction 
in  consequence  of  the  colonel's  severe  reprimand, 
he  still  remained  modest  and  unassuming  in  his 
manners  and  did  not  play  the  part  of  innocence 
justified,  made  a  certain  impression  on  the  better 
sort  of  men  among  the  officers. 

Although  George  betrayed  nothing  of  all  this, 
he  noticed  that  very  slowly  there  was  a  slight 
change  of  feeling  towards  him.  He  only  told 

243 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

Olga  of  this,  and  in  his  letters  home  he  merely 
said  that  very  soon  he  would  be  quite  happy  in 
the  regiment.  It  was,  indeed,  high  time,  for  he 
had  been  more  than  a  year  among  the  "  Golden 
Butterflies."  George  felt  now  quite  a  different 
being.  His  cheerful  disposition  once  more  showed 
itself,  and  his  happy  nature  drove  away  all  the 
sad  thoughts  which  had  lately  so  filled  his 
mind. 

He  enjoyed  his  official  duties  much  more  than 
formerly,  and  just  then  several  things  happened 
that  made  them  pleasanter  than  usual.  His 
captain  had  gone  away  for  a  few  days,  his  first 
lieutenant  was  on  furlough,  and  as  it  was  a  very 
quiet  time  in  the  regiment,  George  was  given 
the  command  of  his  company. 

To-day  the  company  had  been  shooting,  and 
now  it  was  musketry  inspection.  George  had 
at  first  entrusted  this  to  the  sergeant-major 
alone,  but  at  the  last  moment  he  thought  it  was 
his  duty  to  make  a  personal  inspection.  He 
came  quite  unexpectedly.  The  men  were  drawn 
up  in  the  corridor,  and  as  George  mounted  the 
steps  he  heard  from  above  such  a  shower  of 
curses  that  he  hurried  on.  The  cry,  "  The  lieu- 
tenant is  coming  !  "  produced  absolute  silence 
in  a  moment,  and  the  sergeant-major  hastened 
towards  him  to  salute  him. 

"  But,  sergeant,  whatever  is  the  matter  ? 
You  know  how  our  captain  insists  upon  a  good 
tone  in  the  company,  and  I  should  not  like  there 

244 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

to  be  any  difference  in  his  absence.  What  has 
happened  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  sir.  The  lieutenant  knows  how  every- 
thing sounds  in  the  corridor  if  one  speaks  a  little 
louder  than  usual,  and  one  has  to  do  that  to  make 
one's  self  understood.  Perhaps  it  was  I  was  a  little 
angry  with  a  man  whose  gun  was  badly  cleaned." 

"  Don't  get  angry  with  him,  but  make  a  note 
of  it  and  inspect  the  gun  again." 

"  Certainly,  sir.  I  will  attend  toyourcommands." 

George  was  standing  on  one  side  with  the 
sergeant-major,  and  now  he  dismissed  him. 
"  Go  on  with  your  inspection." 

The  sergeant-major  went  back  to  his  place, 
and  George  walked  slowly  along  the  line,  exa- 
mining the  men's  uniforms.  Suddenly  he  stopped 
in  front  of  a  soldier. 

"  Petersen,  what  have  you  done  to  yourself  ?  " 

The  man  had  a  swollen  and  inflamed  eye  and 
a  great  boil  on  his  forehead  which  prevented  him 
from  wearing  his  cap  properly. 

"  You  look  horrible.  What  has  happened  to 
you  ?  "  inquired  George  once  more. 

"  I  fell  down." 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  On  the  steps." 

"  That's  what  I  am  always  saying.  You 
lazy  fellows  don't  even  know  how  to  walk,  and 
yet  you  imagine  you  are  fit  for  a  parade  march." 

George  tried  to  make  a  joke  of  the  affair,  and, 
as  a  rule,  he  found  that  his  men  liked  this  mode 

245 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

of  treatment ;  but  to-day  his  words  called  forth 
no  response.  Petersen  did  not  laugh,  and  the 
men  standing  by  were  evidently  not  amused  by 
it.  It  struck  George  as  a  little  odd,  but  still  he 
thought  no  more  of  it,  and  turned  to  go,  when 
by  chance  his  glance  fell  upon  Non-Commissioned 
Officer  von  Nissew,  who  was  standing  a  little 
way  from  him  by  the  window,  and  who  was 
looking  at  Petersen  with  such  a  threatening 
and  fiery  glance  that  involuntarily  George  was 
frightened  for  a  moment. 

Then  suddenly  he  grasped  the  real  meaning 
of  the  affair.  His  instinct,  which  had  made 
him  dislike  von  Nissew  from  the  very  beginning, 
was  not  wrong  then.  What  he  had  just  seen 
made  him  determine  to  sift  the  matter  to  the 
bottom,  so  he  now  went  back  to  the  soldier  and 
subjected  him  to  a  cross-examination.  When 
did  he  fall  ?  Who  were  there  when  it  happened  ? 
Had  he  been  to  the  ward-room  and  had  his 
wounds  dressed  by  the  nurse  ?  Who  was  in 
the  room  when  he  returned  ?  But  he  could  get 
nothing  out  of  the  man ;  he  had  fallen  down, 
nobody  had  seen  it,  and  he  had  told  none,  be- 
cause he  had  not  wanted  to  make  himself  ridicu- 
lous on  account  of  his  clumsiness. 

"  What  do  you  know  about  the  matter,  Non- 
Commissioned  Officer  von  Nissew  ?  "  said  George, 
turning  suddenly  to  him.  "  You  are  responsible 
for  these  men.  Why  did  you  not  send  this  man 
to  the  ward-room  ?  The  wound  looks  frightful." 

246 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

The  non-commissioned  officer  continued  staring 
at  the  soldier  with  threatening  eyes.  "  I  know 
nothing  about  it,  sir.  I  only  discovered  the 
injury  just  before  the  inspection,  and  then  it 
was  too  late  to  send  him  to  the  nurse." 

George  knew  perfectly  well  that  von  Nissew 
was  not  speaking  the  truth,  but  he  did  not  want 
to  convict  him  of  lying  before  the  assembled  men, 
on  the  ground  of  discipline  and  subordination. 

"  Show  me  the  place  on  the  steps  where  you 
fell  down." 

A  clever  liar  would  have  shown  George  some 
place  or  other  and  said,  "  Here,  sir."  But  the 
soldier  was  so  little  accustomed  to  hypocrisy 
and  concealment  that  he  did  not  know  whether 
to  go  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  and  George  once 
more  took  him  to  task.  "  I  want  to  say  some- 
thing to  you,  Petersen ;  you  know  me,  and  you 
know  that  I  try  to  act  fairly  towards  you  all, 
and  shut  my  eyes  whenever  I  can,  but  if  you 
stand  here  and  lie  to  me  and  make  a  fool  of  me, 
I  shall  get  very  angry  indeed,  and  I  can  assure 
you  you  won't  appreciate  thai  side  of  me.  Well, 
now  out  with  it.  I  pledge  you  my  word  you 
shan't  suffer  for  it.  Where  did  you  fall  down  ?  " 

A  struggle  was  going  on  in  Petersen's  mind. 
At  last  he  said  :  "I  did  not  fall  down  at  all." 

"  But — what  happened  then  ?  " 

"  Non-Commissioned  Officer  von  Nissew  struck 
me  on  the  head  with  a  frying-pan." 

George  was  enraged  beyond  measure,  although 

247 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

from  the  first  he  had  not  for  a  moment  doubted 
that  something  of  the  kind  had  happened  ;  still, 
he  did  not  want  to  betray  his  feelings  towards  his 
subordinate,  so  he  only  said :  "  So  that's  it. 
Well,  that  will  do.  Now  go  back  into  line." 

But  the  private  stood  still  in  a  stiff  attitude 
before  his  lieutenant  and  did  not  move.  "Do 
you  want  to  say  anything  else  ?  "  asked  George. 
"  You  know,  Petersen,  you  cannot  lodge  a  com- 
plaint against  von  Nissew  to-day.  You  must 
not  do  that  till  to-morrow,  or  you  yourself  will 
be  liable  to  punishment." 

"  Sir,  if  you  will  allow  me,  I  do  not  want  to 
make  any  complaint." 

"  What  do  you  want,  then  ?  " 

The  soldier,  a  tall,  strong,  fine-looking  man, 
trembled  in  every  limb. 

"  Now,  out  with  it.  You  can  trust  me.  What 
is  it  ?  " 

"  Might  I  venture  to  ask  you  most  humbly  not 
to  tell  the  non-commissioned  officer  that  I  have 
informed  you  of  the  truth  in  his  matter,  for  then 
he  would  thrash  me  again  and  make  my  comrades 
belabour  me  with  their  heavy  whips." 

George  involuntarily  took  a  step  back.  "  What 
do  you  mean  ?  You  only  imagine  that.  Now, 
can  you  believe  one  of  your  superiors  capable  of  such 
a  thing  ?  "  He  was  speaking  against  his  own  con- 
viction, but  for  the  sake  of  discipline  he  was  obliged 
to  support  those  in  authority ;  an  opportunity  for 
discovering  the  whole  truth  would  come  later. 

248 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

Petersen  was  still  trembling.  "  We  know  the 
non-commissioned  officer  well  enough.  Last  week 
Meier  intended  to  lodge  a  complaint  because  he 
knocked  out  two  of  his  teeth,  but  he  heard  this 
and  then  he  struck  him  with  his  riding-whip 
till  the  blood  ran,  and  we  had  to  hit  him  also." 

"  But  how  could  you  do  such  a  thing  ?  " 

"  The  non-commissioned  officer  threatened  us 
that  he  would  take  care  that  we  had  no  leave 
of  absence  on  Sunday,  and  he  taunted  us  till  we 
got  mad  with  anger,  and  we  drove  Meier  round 
the  place  till  he  couldn't  move." 

"  Well,  and  what  then  ?  "  asked  George,  who 
could  scarcely  restrain  himself  for  indignation. 

"  Then  the  non-commissioned  officer  took  out 
an  old  Bible  and  made  Meier  swear  on  it  that  he 
would  not  make  a  complaint,  and  then  he  told  Meier 
that  if  he  did  he  would  be  committing  perjury, 
and  perjury  was  punishable  by  imprisonment." 

George  was  terribly  angry  at  what  he  had  heard, 
but,  in  spite  of  this,  he  said,  apparently  quite 
calmly,  "Very  well,  that  will  do  now,  fall  into  rank." 

But  again  Petersen  did  not  move,  and  asked, 
in  an  almost  tearful  tone  :  "  Sir,  will  you  really  say 
nothing  of  this  to  the  non-commissioned  officer  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  promise  that,  but  I  pledge  you  my 
word  that  von  Nissew  shall  not  ill-treat  you  to- 
night. He  will  do  nothing  more  to  you.  Are 
you  satisfied  with  that  ?  " 

Petersen  shook  his  head.  "  Then  the  other 
non-commissioned  officers  will,  they  are  all  in 

249 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

the  same  box  ;  they  are  not  all  so  cruel,  but  they 
all  strike  us." 

George  pretended  not  to  hear  the  last  words. 
"  You  may  rest  content,  nothing  shall  happen 
to  you  to-night.  I  myself  shall  be  in  barracks 
the  whole  night  and  will  see  to  things.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  you  are  satisfied  now." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

Petersen  fell  into  the  rank,  and  George  was 
about  to  return  to  the  company  when  he  noticed 
von  Nissew  standing  a  little  distance  off  ;  ap- 
parently he  was  waiting  to  speak  to  him,  and 
scarcely  was  George  alone  when  the  non-com- 
missioned officer  stepped  up  to  him  hastily. 

"  What  do  you  want  of  me  ?  "  asked  George 
curtly. 

Nissew  tried  in  vain  to  conceal  his  anxiety 
and  disquietude,  and  his  restless  eyes  were 
more  unsteady  than  usual. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  asked  George  again. 

The  non-commissioned  officer  unsuccessfully 
sought  to  control  his  voice,  it  trembled  noticeably 
as  he  said,  "  I  wanted  to  ask  you  most  respect- 
fully— I  can  imagine  what  Petersen  has  just  said 
to  you — and  I  wanted  to  ask  if  you  would  be  so 
good  as  not  to  believe  a  word  he  says  ;  he  is  the 
greatest  liar  and  slanderer  in  the  whole  company. 
Our  captain  knows  that,  and  gave  me  orders 
to  give  special  attention  to  Petersen,  who  is 
secretly  a  social  democrat.  His  comrades  know 
that.  You  can  ask  the  whole  company,  and 

250 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

all  the  corporals,  and  they  will  tell  you  the  same 
thing.     Petersen  is  lying." 

George's  face  expressed  boundless  contempt, 
for  every  word  of  Petersen's  showed  that  he 
spoke  the  absolute  truth.  Whilst  George  had 
been  talking  to  him  Nissew  had  certainly  been 
working  upon  his  men  and  threatening  them 
with  fresh  ill-treatment  if  they  did  not  represent 
that  Petersen  was  a  liar.  A  feeling  of  inex- 
pressible repugnance  and  the  greatest  horror 
came  over  George  ;  he  despised  him  for  having 
ill-treated  a  defenceless  subordinate,  but  even 
more  for  seeking  to  deny  his  guilt  in  this  manner. 
He  turned  to  him  and  said,  "Not  only  a  brute, 
but  a  coward  ?  Ugh  !  " 

The  non-commissioned  officer  turned  pale, 
but  he  made  one  more  effort  to  clear  himself. 
"  You  know,  sir,  what  our  captain  thinks  about 
me ;  he  has  indeed  informed  you,  sir,  and  when 
he  returns  from  his  furlough  and  speaks  to  you, 
sir,  concerning  me,  you  will  see  that  you  have 
done  me  a  bitter  injustice." 

George  plainly  perceived  the  inward  signifi- 
cance of  these  words ;  they  reminded  him  of 
the  morning  when  he  had  been  reprimanded 
by  his  superior  on  account  of  his  subordinate 
officer,  and  he  saw  how  delighted  Nissew  was 
that  he  would  be  reprimanded  a  second  time 
because  he  had  ventured  to  doubt  so  excellent 
an  officer  as  himself.  The  veins  on  his  forehead 
swelled,  but  with  a  great  effort  he  controlled 

251 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

himself  and  said,  "  Non-Commissioned  Officer 
von  Nissew,  whether  I  am  doing  you  an  injustice 
or  not  will  be  decided  later,  for  the  present  I 
more  than  suspect  you  of  the  alleged  ill-treatment 
of  your  subordinates." 

Again  von  Nissew  wanted  to  defend  himself, 
but  the  sergeant-major  appeared  to  announce 
that  the  muskets  had  all  been  inspected. 

"  It  is  fortunate  that  you  have  come,  sergeant- 
major  "  ;  and  then,  turning  to  him,  he  said,  in 
a  firm,  clear  voice,  "  Sergeant-major,  take  Non- 
Commissioned  Officer  von  Nissew's  sword  from  him, 
and  place  him  under  arrest,  pending  investigation." 

The  non-commissioned  officer  turned  as  white 
as  the  white-washed  walls  and  fell  back. 

"  Now,  sergeant-major,  why  don't  you  do 
your  work  ?  "  asked  George,  as  he  still  hesitated 
to  carry  out  the  order.  "  Did  you  not  under- 
stand me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  sergeant-major,  still 
with  hesitation  ;  "I  was  only  thinking,  sir,  what 
the  captain  would  say  when  he  heard  this." 

With  an  involuntary  movement  George  laid 
his  hand  on  his  sword.  "  By  Jove,  sergeant- 
major,  do  you  or  I  command  this  company  ? 
I  demand  an  answer." 

"  You,  sir." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  you  understand  that,  and 
now  either  place  the  non-commissioned  officer 
under  arrest  or  I  shall  punish  you  for  disobedi- 
ence." 

252 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

This  energetic  speech  had  its  effect,  and  the 
sergeant-major  offered  no  further  opposition. 

"  Unbuckle  your  sword,  von  Nissew." 

The  non-commissioned  officer  quite  mechani- 
cally unbuckled  the  straps  and  the  sword  fell  to 
the  ground. 

The  sergeant-major  lifted  it  up.    "  Come." 

And  without  once  raising  his  eyes,  von  Nissew, 
with  shaking  knees,  went  down  the  steps  with 
the  sergeant-major,  and  a  little  later  George  saw 
them  going  over  the  yard  together,  and  then 
they  disappeared  into  the  guard-room,  which 
was  in  the  extreme  right-hand  corner  of  the 
large  barracks. 

Now,  for  the  first  time,  George  understood 
clearly  what  he  had  done,  and  for  a  moment  he 
was  overwhelmed  with  doubts  as  to  whether 
perhaps  he  had  not  acted  rashly  and  without  due 
consideration.  Then  he  summoned  Meier  to  him, 
told  him  what  Petersen  had  said,  and  asked  him, 
on  his  word  of  honour,  if  that  was  all  true. 

"  Were  you  forced  to  swear  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Were  you  beaten  ?  " 

"  I  can  show  you  the  marks  still,  sir." 

The  men  must  certainly  have  seen  that  the 
non-commissioned  officer  had  been  placed  under 
arrest,  otherwise  Meier  would  not  have  spoken 
so  openly. 

"  Show  them  me." 

The  man  pulled  down  his  trousers  and  George 

253 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

could  distinctly  see  the  marks  of  the  bloody  weals 
caused  by  the  heavy  whip. 

"  That  will  do." 

The  man  pulled  up  his  garments  again,  and 
in  spite  of  the  traces  of  the  brutal  ill-treatment 
George  could  not  help  feeling  almost  pleased  at 
the  sight  of  them.  He  had  not  accused  von 
Nissew  unjustly ;  here  were  proofs  of  his  guilt. 

Soon  after  the  sergeant-major  returned.  :'  The 
order  is  carried  out." 

"  Thank  you  ;  dismiss  the  men.  I  want  to 
speak  to  the  non-commissioned  officers  alone." 

The  latter  stood  round  their  lieutenant  in  a 
semi-circle,  and  George  purposely  made  them 
stand  to  attention  so  that  his  words  might  be 
all  the  more  impressive.  "  I  want  to  inform 
you  at  once  that  I  have  placed  von  Nissew  under 
arrest  for  gross  ill-treatment  of  his  subordinates. 
As  so  often  happens,  the  matter  came  to  light 
quite  by  chance.  Had  I  not  attended  the  in- 
spection to-day,  as  was  originally  my  intention, 
I  should  probably  have  never  known  about  this, 
and  these  disgusting  brutalities,  for  I  can  call 
them  nothing  else,  would  have  continued.  I 
am  informed  that  many  other  non-commissioned 
officers  have  acted  in  the  same  way  as  von  Nissew. 
I  cannot  feel  sure  whether  you  knew  about  this 
ill-treatment  and  failed  to  notify  it,  or  whether 
you  also  have  ill-treated  your  men.  I  will  not 
examine  into  that  now ;  it  will  rather  be  the 
subject  of  a  judicial  inquiry.  To-day  I  only 

254 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

wanted  to  say  to  you  that  any  one  of  you  who 
does  not  feel  absolutely  free  from  guilt  ought  to 
be  thoroughly  ashamed  of  himself.  I  am  cer- 
tainly the  last  man  to  blame  a  non-commissioned 
officer  if,  in  a  fit  of  anger  at  a  soldier's  stupidity 
or  stubbornness,  he  so  far  loses  his  self-control  as 
to  give  him  a  blow  or  a  push.  Our  men  quite 
understand  that,  and  they  don't  mind  a  blow 
given  in  a  state  of  excitement ;  they  know  it 
does  not  mean  anything,  and  they  know  perfectly 
well  that  when  they  are  no  longer  recruits  they 
in  their  turn  will  give  a  secret  shove  or  blow 
without  meaning  anything  brutal  by  it.  But 
there  is  the  whole  difference  in  the  world  between 
forgetting  one's  self  in  one's  zeal  for  duty  and 
knowingly  and  with  consideration  ill-treating 
anyone.  The  former  is  human,  the  latter  simply 
brutal  and  beastly.  Condign  punishment  will 
be  administered  to  Non-Commissioned  Officer 
von  Nissew  and  to  everyone  who  is  guilty  of 
such  brutal  behaviour.  Now,  I  want  to  speak 
very  briefly  to  you  about  another  matter.  I 
am  told  that  the  men  are  afraid  of  being  alone 
with  you  to-night  in  the  barracks,  because  they 
fear  you  will  revenge  yourselves  on  them  for  my 
having  placed  Non-Commissioned  Officer  von 
Nissew  under  arrest.  It  is  a  fine  testimonial  to 
you  that  the  men  are  afraid  of  you  instead  of 
having  trust  in  you,  and  you  must  all  be  very 
proud  of  this  fact."  There  was  bitter  irony  in 
the  words.  Then  George  continued :  "I  will 

255 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

rely  on  your  honour  that  these  fears  are  ground- 
less, but  I  have  promised  to  see  that  no  one  is 
ill-treated  to-night.  I  therefore  order  the  ser- 
geant-major and  the  sergeant  to  supervise  the 
men's  rooms  till  bedtime  and  to  change  guard 
every  two  hours,  and  all  the  doors  are  to  remain 
open.  At  nine  o'clock  I  will  take  over  the  duty. 
That  is  all  I  wanted  to  tell  you." 

The  non-commissioned  officers  were  dismissed. 
During  his  speech  George  had  studied  their  faces 
carefully — a  great  many  of  them  had  turned 
alternately  crimson  and  pale,  some  tried  to 
appear  as  if  the  whole  thing  did  not  concern 
them  and  as  if  they  were  entirely  free  from  all 
blame,  but  George  felt  that  there  were  very  few 
who  had  an  absolutely  clear  conscience. 

George  went  with  the  sergeant-major  into 
the  reading-room  of  the  company  to  draw  up  a 
report  of  the  case  and  present  it  to  the  battalion. 
It  would  then  be  sent  to  the  regiment,  and  then, 
owing  to  the  gravity  of  the  case,  to  the  superior 
courts.  He  sent  off  the  lance-corporal,  who 
usually  acted  as  clerk,  and  turned  to  the  sergeant- 
major.  He  was  horrified  at  what  he  had  heard 
and  seen,  and  spoke  quite  freely  about  it.  "  Tell 
me,  sergeant,  how  is  such  a  thing  possible  ? 
How  is  it  conceivable  that  such  a  thing  should 
have  gone  on  for  weeks  without  anyone  knowing 
anything  about  it  ?  Did  you  know  anything 
about  it  ?  You  live  with  the  men  in  the  same 
corridor  ;  you  must  often,  both  by  day  and  by 

256 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

night,  have  gone  through  the  rooms — did  you 
not  notice  anything  suspicious  ?  " 

Instead  of  an  answer  the  sergeant-major 
merely  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?  "  demanded  George  ; 
"  you  don't  mean  to  tell  me  that  the  whole  thing 
was  an  absolute  and  complete  surprise  to  you  ?  " 

"  No,  not  exactly  that,"  answered  the  sergeant- 
major  after  a  slight  pause,  "  but  when  the  time 
comes  for  speaking  I  shall  feel  quite  at  my  ease  ; 
I  am  aware  that  I  shall  be  called  as  a  witness 
at  the  investigation  and  must  say  on  oath  all 
that  I  know  about  it." 

"  And  what  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Really  very  little,  sir,  and  I  can  swear  with 
a  good  conscience  that  I  have  never  seen  or  heard 
anything,  and  I  can  equally  truthfully  swear 
that  no  man  has  ever  come  to  me  and  made  a 
complaint.  I  should  have  made  myself  liable 
to  punishment  if  anyone  had  made  an  official 
complaint  to  me  and  I  had  not  conveyed  it  to 
the  proper  authorities." 

"  Quite  true,  and  you  say  your  conscience  is 
quite  free  from  blame." 

**'  I  really  think  so,  sir,  and  I  am  sure  that  they 
cannot  bring  up  anything  against  me  at  the 
inquiry,  and  that  is  the  important  thing  for  an 
old  soldier  who  in  a  few  months  will  have  served 
his  twelve  years  and  earned  his  gratuity  and 
pension." 

''Outwardly  that  is  so,  certainly,"  agreed  George, 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  but  your  words  would  seem  to  indicate  that  you 
do  not  really  feel  absolutely  free  from  all  blame." 

"  You  are  right,  sir.  As  I  have  just  told  you, 
I  have  seen  and  heard  nothing,  but  I  have  often 
imagined  that  all  was  not  going  on  quite  satis- 
factorily with  the  men  under  von  Nissew.  On 
so  many  occasions  one  or  other  of  his  men  had 
fallen  down  and  hurt  himself,  or  he  had  knocked 
against  something  in  the  dark.  I  have  several 
times  taken  von  Nissew  to  task  and  said  to  him  : 
*  You  are  not  striking  your  men,  are  you  ?  '  and 
naturally  he  answered  in  the  negative.  I  ought, 
perhaps,  to  have  thereupon  made  a  declaration 
that  he  was  lying,  but  what  could  I  do  ?  Ought 
I  to  question  the  men  behind  a  non-commis- 
sioned officer's  back  ?  That  would  have  been 
the  right  thing  most  likely,  but  then  there  would 
soon  be  an  end  to  all  discipline  and  subordination. 
My  God  !  when  one  thinks  how  easily  one  could 
manage  these  fellows  in  former  times,  how  one 
could  turn  them  round  one's  little  finger,  and 
now  ?  It  is  enough  to  make  an  old  soldier 
weep ;  and  then  the  newspapers  destroy  and 
undermine  the  little  bit  of  authority  we  still 
have  left  us,  in  spite  of  two-years'  service,  with 
their  cursed  scribbling  about  the  ill-treatment 
of  subordinates.  You  can't  blame  an  old  soldier, 
therefore,  if  he  does  not  do  more  than  he  is  abso- 
lutely obliged  to  get  these  stories  published." 

George  partly  agreed  with  him.  "  Still,  it  is 
not  right." 

258 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

"  I  know,  sir,  but  what  would  have  happened 
if  I  had  officially  reported  something  of  which 
officially  I  had  had  no  intimation  ?  They  would 
not  have  allowed  me  to  extend  my  time  in  the 
army ;  I  should  not  have  got  my  gratuity,  and 
then  what  would  have  become  of  me  ?  Not  that 
they  would  have  meant  to  punish  me  by  refusing 
to  allow  me  to  re-enlist ;  on  the  contrary,  they 
might  even  have  commended  my  conduct,  but 
none  of  the  higher  authorities  would  have  thanked 
me  for  bringing  to  light  such  an  affair  without 
the  most  pressing  necessity." 

George  could  not  but  assent  to  the  sergeant- 
major's  views,  and  for  the  first  time  he  asked 
himself  the  question  :  "  How  will  they  thank 
you  for  having  unearthed  this  scandal  ?  " 

"  Then  you  see  I  am  a  married  man,"  continued 
the  sergeant-major  after  a  slight  pause,  "  you 
know,  sir,  I  have  two  children,  and  I  don't  want 
to  be  suddenly  turned  out  into  the  streets  with 
them.  It  is  frightfully  difficult  for  any  of  us  to 
get  a  situation ;  old  non-commissioned  officers 
often  hunt  about  for  ever  so  long,  for  every 
employment  is  crowded.  So,  of  course,  one 
stays  in  the  army  as  long  as  ever  one  can,  instead 
of  twelve  years,  twenty,  or  even  longer,  for,  at 
any  rate,  one  has  one's  work,  one's  pay,  one's 
home,  and  one  doesn't  risk  all  that  unless  one 
is  absolutely  obliged.  One  shuts  one's  eyes  for 
the  sake  of  one's  own  existence  whenever  one 
can,  and  that  is  what  I  have  done." 

259 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  Did  you  never  speak  to  the  captain  about 
von  Nissew  ?  " 

"  Very  often,  sir.  I  have  repeatedly  notified 
to  the  captain  that  I  thought  Nissew  ill-treated 
his  men." 

"  And  what  did  the  captain  reply  ?  "  asked 
George,  with  curiosity. 

"  At  first  he  laughed  in  my  face,  then  he  grew 
angry.  You  know,  of  course,  that  Nissew  will 
become  a  sergeant-major  later  on,  and  the  captain 
indicated  by  his  behaviour  that  I  was  already 
jealous  of  my  successor.  Now  I  had  no  reason 
to  feel  this,  because  von  Nissew  must  first  be  a 
sergeant  and  corporal  before  he  can  relieve  me 
of  my  duties.  I  told  the  captain  this,  but  he 
still  thought  I  was  jealous  because  he  protected 
him,  and  he  warned  me  to  treat  Nissew  fairly 
and  not  to  be  continually  looking  after  him. 
Well,  then,  I  kept  silent ;  only  once  did  I  speak, 
and  then  I  called  the  captain's  attention  to  a  red 
mark,  one  could  still  see  the  box  on  the  ear  the 
man  had  received.  Of  course  the  man  belonged 
to  Nissew's  company." 

"  Did  the  captain  summon  the  non-commis- 
sioned officer  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  think  so,  sir ;  he  only  asked  me 
whether  I  had  never  in  my  life  given  a  man  a 
box  on  the  ears.  Well,  of  course,  I  couldn't  swear 
that  I  hadn't,  and  so  the  captain  said  he  thought 
I  ought  not  to  complain  so  much  against  Nissew 
when  I  myself  had  committed  the  same  fault." 

260 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

George  was  thoughtful.  "  Tell  me,  sergeant- 
major,  do  you  think  the  captain  knew  anything 
about  the  way  von  Nissew  treated  his  men  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  he  did  exactly,  sir,  for 
Nissew  was  always  very  cautious.  He  seldom 
struck  men  in  the  face,  there  were  no  visible 
marks  of  his  ill-treatment  to  be  seen,  and  I 
cannot  understand  how  he  so  far  lost  his  self- 
control  to-day  as  to  strike  Petersen  in  this  manner. 
No,  the  captain  certainly  knew  nothing  about 
these  things,  but  still  I  have  often  wondered 
that  he  allowed  von  Nissew  to  have  so  much 
authority  over  the  men.  Whoever  was  given  a 
punishment  or  anything  similar  had  to  report  it 
to  von  Nissew.  I  once  complained  about  this 
to  the  captain,  for  you  see  I  am  the  sergeant- 
major  and  I  could  not  allow  anyone  to  encroach 
upon  my  duties  without  taking  notice  of  it,  it 
looked  as  if  I  were  not  trusted.  But  the  captain 
said  I  ought  not  to  make  myself  ridiculous.  I 
knew  perfectly  well  he  had  every  confidence  in 
me,  I  had  quite  enough  to  do,  and  simply  to 
lighten  my  duties  and  to  relieve  me  of  some  of 
them  he  had  made  this  arrangement.  When  I 
said  to  the  captain  there  were  still  the  sergeant 
and  the  corporal  he  signified  that  I  must  really 
leave  to  him  the  choice  of  whatever  non-com 
missioned  officer  he  thought  most  suitable  as 
my  deputy ;  this  depended  on  the  individual 
and  had  nothing  to  do  with  rank." 

"  That  is  quite  right,  but  it  has  always  been  a 

261 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

puzzle  to  me  why  the  captain  so  specially  favoured 
von  Nissew." 

"  Not  to  me,  sir.  I  have  known  the  captain 
for  years ;  he  is  a  good-hearted  man,  but  very 
easily  managed  if  anyone  knows  how  to  get 
round  him.  And  Nissew  understood  this  better 
than  anyone  else ;  he  is  always  dancing  attend- 
ance on  him,  and  running  after  him  like  a  good 
dog.  I  am  only  wondering  what  on  earth  the 
captain  will  say  when  he  returns  from  furlough 
and  hears  of  this  affair." 

"  We  must  not  let  the  captain  wait  for  news 
as  long  as  that ;  he  told  me  to  telegraph  to 
him  if  anything  important  happened  in  the 
company  during  his  absence.  I  had  quite  for- 
gotten that.  Please  write  a  telegram  immedi- 
ately :  '  Have  had  Non-Commissioned  Officer 
von  Nissew  placed  under  arrest  pending  investi- 
gation on  account  of  repeated  ill-treatment  of 
subordinates.'  ' 

The  sergeant-major  wrote  the  telegram  and 
George  himself  took  it  to  the  telegraph  office. 

Next  morning  the  captain  came  back  from  his 
furlough.  Immediately  on  receipt  of  the  tele- 
gram he  had  cut  short  his  holiday,  and  now  he 
was  in  a  state  of  agitation  which  George  could 
neither  understand  nor  account  for.  It  is  true 
it  was  an  unpleasant  business,  but  still  he  ought 
to  be  grateful  to  him  for  having  discovered  the 
condition  of  affairs  and  so  helped  to  put  an  end 
to  any  further  ill-treatment.  Instead  of  this, 

262 


however,  his  superior  officer  was  filled  with  a 
rage  and  anger  against  George  which  trans- 
cended all  bounds.  Immediately  on  his  return 
he  had  George  sent  for  to  barracks  and  spoke 
to  him  in  such  a  manner  that  it  was  almost 
impossible  for  the  latter  to  keep  his  temper 
and  endure  his  reproaches.  "  I  am,  of  course, 
far  from  approving  of  what  von  Nissew  did, 
but  still  less  can  I  approve  of  your  behaviour, 
Lieutenant  Winkler.  You  ought  to  have  in- 
formed me  before  taking  any  steps.  I  should 
then  have  immediately  returned  and  investi- 
gated the  affair  myself,  then  it  would  have  been 
time  to  have  taken  action  against  the  non- 
commissioned officer.  I  must  certainly  rebuke 
you  for  having  acted  so  quickly,  and  without 
due  consideration ;  it  almost  looks  as  if  you 
wanted  to  stand  on  your  dignity  and  vaunt  your 
authority.  You  knew  what  a  high  opinion  I 
have  of  von  Nissew ;  out  of  regard  to  me  you 
ought  not  to  have  acted  so  impulsively,  especially 
as  there  was  really  no  urgent  reason  for  doing 
so.  Many  questions  evoke  many  answers — 
that  is  always  the  case.  You  ought  to  have 
quietly  waited  to  see  if  Petersen  or  Meier  would 
make  a  formal  complaint,  then  it  would  have 
been  quite  time  to  have  acted  as  you  did ;  per- 
haps then  it  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have 
summoned  the  non-commissioned  officer  and 
threatened  him  with  a  formal  charge  if  anything 
of  the  kind  happened  again.  Instead  of  this 

263 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

you  ask  the  men  all  kinds  of  questions  until 
at  last  you  find  out  what  you  intended  to  find 
out.  You  have  always  had  a  strong  dislike  to 
von  Nissew.  Now  that  you  have  given  vent 
to  it  perhaps  you  are  satisfied." 

George,  with  a  great  effort,  controlled  himself. 
"  I  should  have  acted  in  precisely  the  same  manner 
towards  any  other  non-commissioned  officer." 

The  captain  laughed  mockingly,  and  the  blood 
rushed  to  George's  cheeks. 

"  I  must  request  you  most  respectfully,  sir, 
not  to  cast  any  doubt  on  my  words." 

"  And  I  must  request  you  most  emphatically, 
sir,  not  to  call  me  to  account  in  this  fashion. 
If  what  I  tell  you  is  not  to  your  liking  you  know 
you  have  the  right  of  making  a  formal  complaint." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

The  captain  was  striding  up  and  down  the 
reading-room  like  a  wild  animal ;  now  he  stopped 
in  front  of  George  and  his  eyes  were  so  fierce 
and  bloodshot  that  the  latter  was  quite  frightened. 
He  could  scarcely  recognise  his  superior  officer 
who  had  hitherto  been  the  picture  of  tranquillity 
and  good  manners. 

"  Lieutenant  Winkler,  do  you  really  under- 
stand what  you  have  done  ?  "  continued  the 
superior  officer.  "  I  will  say  nothing  of  the 
unpleasant  position  in  which  you  have  put  me, 
but  even  if  you  did  not  consider  me,  you  ought 
to  have  thought  of  the  regiment,  and  even  of 
yourself.  Scarcely  have  people  forgotten  the 

264 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

scandal  concerning  little  Willberg,  scarcely  have 
we  succeeded  in  allaying  the  suspicion  that  you 
did  not  act  quite  rightly,  than  you  reveal  a 
new  scandal  which  all  the  newspapers  will  get 
hold  of.  The  Press  of  the  whole  world  will 
attack  us,  the  regiment  will  be  in  everybody's 
mouth,  people  will  throw  dirt  at  us,  and  some 
of  it  will  stick.  If  such  a  thing  had  happened 
in  another  regiment,  it  would  not  have  been  so 
bad,  but  we,  as  the  Guards  regiment,  ought  to 
see  that  nothing  whatever  concerning  us  comes 
under  public  notice  that  does  not  redound  to 
our  credit.  Dirty  linen  should  be  washed  at 
home  ;  a  stern  rebuke,  of  which  only  the  superior 
authorities  should  have  been  informed  in  part, 
would  have  settled  the  matter.  You  have 
prevented  that  by  your  over-hasty  report,  the 
battalion  must  now  know  of  the  affair,  and  a 
public  scandal  is  unavoidable.  But  that  even 
is  not  the  end  of  the  matter.  His  Majesty  will 
hear  of  the  proceedings,  and  in  spite  of  the  great 
favour  you  enjoy,  His  Majesty  will  not  approve 
of  your  conduct." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  for  venturing  to  contradict 
you,  but  I  know  quite  well  what  His  Majesty 
feels  about  the  ill-treatment  of  soldiers." 

"  I  do  too,"  went  on  his  superior  officer,  "  but 
it  is  not  necessary  to  make  a  mountain  out  of  a 
mole-hill,  and  one  should  not  stir  up  mud  with- 
out serious  consideration." 

Again  the  blood  rushed  to  George's  cheeks. 

265 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  I  am  not  conscious  of  any  wrong-doing.  If 
I  have  acted  wrongly,  however,  I  am  quite 
ready  to  bear  the  consequences." 

The  captain  turned  crimson.  "  You  will  soon 
have  to  do  that,  whether  you  like  it  or  not, 
but  that  will  not  compensate  me  or  the  regiment. 
Whether  you  get  your  discharge  or  not  is  a 
matter  of  complete  indifference  to  us ;  we  have 
managed  to  exist  without  you  in  the  past,  and 
we  shall  continue  to  do  so  in  the  future.  But 
the  matter  is  not  over  because  you  depart." 

"  Perhaps  it  may  be  if  severe  and  righteous 
punishment  is  meted  out  to  the  offender.  If 
the  public  see  the  severest  punishment  is  given  for 
such  offences  public  opinion  will  soon  be  allayed." 

"  Oh,  that  is  what  you  think,  do  you  ?  "  said 
the  captain,  contemptuously.  "  You  will  have 
plenty  of  opportunity  of  explaining  and  justify- 
ing your  behaviour  in  this  matter." 

George  was  enraged  at  the  unjust  treatment 
which  his  captain  dealt  out  to  him,  but  he  deter- 
mined to  keep  to  his  resolution  of  making  a 
formal  charge  against  the  non-commissioned 
officer.  Next  morning  the  captain  returned  to 
the  attack  when  he  was  summoned  to  the  regi- 
mental office.  Indescribable  excitement  reigned 
there ;  and  although  his  superiors  formally 
praised  his  conduct  and  his  strictly  just  treatment, 
he  was  obliged  to  listen  to  things  there  which  he 
had  not  expected. 

"  You  ought   to  have  remembered  that  the 

266 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

publicity,  and  perhaps  even  the  trial  would  not 
fall  on  the  non-commissioned  officer  alone. 
People  will  ask  how  was  such  a  thing  possible, 
how  could  it  have  occurred  if  there  had  been 
proper  supervision  on  the  part  of  the  superior 
officers.  You,  as  a  lieutenant,  know  perfectly 
well  that  this  supervision  can  only  take  the 
form  of  warning  the  non-commissioned  officers 
continually  that  they  must  not  ill-treat  their 
men,  and  pointing  out  to  them  the  results  if 
they  do  so.  We  cannot  be  in  every  non-com- 
missioned officer's  pocket,  we  cannot  constantly, 
by  night  and  day,  inspect  the  barracks,  we 
cannot  do  any  more  than  is  already  done  to 
avoid  brutal  treatment.  But,  in  spite  of  all  this, 
we  superior  officers  are  considered  mainly  re- 
sponsible ;  you  will  soon  see  what  is  the  result 
of  this  business." 

The  words  of  the  superior  officers  plainly 
showed  the  fear  they  had  concerning  their  own 
careers,  and  involuntarily  George  recollected 
what  his  former  captain  had  once  said  to  him. 
It  was  something  of  this  sort :  "  The  ill-treatment 
of  the  soldiers  will  cease  when  there  is  a  change 
in  two  particulars.  First  of  all,  the  officers 
must  not  be  worried  by  the  superior  authorities, 
and  the  captain  and  the  major  must  know  that 
one  unfavourable  inspection  will  not  cost  them 
their  posts.  How  they  tremble  at  the  sight  of 
an  Excellency  :  the  men  are  only  drilled  in  what 
will  make  a  good  show.  What  is  good  for  this 

267 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

purpose  the  major  yells  out  to  the  captain,  the 
captain  to  the  lieutenants,  and  the  lieutenants 
to  the  non-commissioned  officers.  The  curses 
get  worse  and  worse  as  they  descend  in  the  scale, 
and  the  non-commissioned  officers  must  be 
veritable  angels  if  they  do  not  vent  their  anger 
on  the  men,  who,  if  not  actually,  are  yet  indirectly 
responsible  for  the  bad  report.  If  a  Tommy 
holds  his  gun  badly  the  captain  is  blamed  for 
not  laying  sufficient  stress  on  the  correct  mani- 
pulation of  arms  in  his  company  ;  the  reprimand 
is  unfair,  and  the  authorities  know  that  perfectly 
well,  but  that  does  not  matter  :  the  point  is, 
the  captain  gets  enraged  and  lets  off  steam. 
Nobody  to-day  troubles  about  the  training  of 
the  men,  each  fights  for  his  own  existence.  Dis- 
charge daily  threatens  a  man  for  a  thousand 
different  reasons,  and  simply  to  postpone  this 
as  long  as  possible  all  kinds  of  ill-deeds  are  com- 
mitted against  the  subordinates  which  cry  out 
to  Heaven  for  justice.  The  path  to  advance- 
ment to-day  is  strewn  with  corpses,  and  it  will 
only  be  different  when  we  cease  to  live  in  an 
age  of  inspection,  and  when  a  man  no  longer 
works  simply  for  his  own  benefit,  but  for  the 
whole  army. 

"  Only  then  will  tranquillity  return  to  men's 
minds,  and  they  will  no  longer  seek  to  obtain 
by  blows  and  ill-treatment  what  is  far  more 
easily  procured  by  kindness. 

"  That  is  the  first  thing.     Secondly,  this  ill- 

268 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

treatment  will  cease  when  the  superior  officers 
have  the  courage  to  look  into  all  complaints, 
to  punish  themselves  what  they  see  with  their 
own  eyes,  or  to  send  them  to  the  superior  courts 
for  punishment.  The  only  person  who  has 
this  courage  to  a  certain  extent  is  the  very 
rich  officer,  to  whom  it  is  a  matter  of  no  conse- 
quence whether  he  gets  his  small  pay  or  his 
smaller  pension ;  or  the  officer  who  stands  high 
in  the  favour  of  the  authorities  and  can  say  to 
himself,  '  It  will  not  affect  my  career  if  I  report 
the  brutalities  of  my  non-commissioned  officers 
for  which  I  am  in  no  way  to  blame.' 

"  But  the  officer  who  trembles  and  fears  for 
his  future  will  naturally  say  to  himself,  '  I  am 
by  no  means  too  secure  in  my  position,  and  if 
it  gets  known  that  my  subordinate  officers  ill- 
treat  the  men  I  may  as  well  get  into  civilian's 
attire  at  once.'  And  who  will  blame  a  poor 
captain  or  major  if  he  tries  to  avoid  reporting 
a  complaint,  or  warns  a  non-commissioned  officer 
instead  of  punishing  him  when  he  has  struck 
a  man  ?  " 

George  had  then  agreed  with  his  captain,  but 
still  he  could  not  quite  understand  that  the 
authorities  would  have  preferred  his  not  bringing 
to  light  this  inconceivable  brutality. 

•'  I  can  imagine,  "[^said  the  colonel,  "  what 
His  Majesty  will  say  to  me.  '  First  the  affair 
with  Willberg,  and  now  this  greater  scandal 
about  the  non-commissioned  officers.  Nice  things 

269 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

seem  to  go  on  in  your  regiment.' '  And  then 
the  colonel  added :  "If  this  business  costs  me 
my  post  it  will  be  your  fault,  yours  alone,  and 
it  was  just  you  I  should  never  have  expected 
to  play  us  such  a  trick." 

George  saw  by  this  that  the  colonel,  who 
had  so  lately  interposed  on  his  behalf,  expected 
in  return  that  George  would  have  had  more 
regard  for  the  reputation  of  the  regiment,  but 
in  spite  of  this  George  was  really  not  conscious 
of  having  done  anything  wrong ;  and  an  inner 
voice  told  him  that  he  had  only  acted  as  every 
honourable  man  must  have  acted. 

His  comrades,  just  as  much  as  his  superiors, 
blamed  him  for  having  reported  the  matter 
officially  to  the  authorities.  Not  that  they 
took  the  part  of  the  non-commissioned  officer ; 
on  the  contrary,  there  were  universal  exclama- 
tions of  the  greatest  indignation  when  George 
told  them  how  bruised  and  beaten  about  the 
men  were,  but  still,  of  more  importance  to  them 
than  the  well-being  of  the  men  was  the  good 
reputation  of  the  regiment. 

First  the  affair  in  the  officers'  corps,  then  this 
scandal  with  the  non-commissioned  officers — 
they  were  lowered  in  the  public  estimation,  and 
hi  future  people  would  naturally  say,  "  There 
are  fine  goings-on  among  the  *  Golden  Butter- 
flies'; the  lieutenants  shoot  themselves  and 
the  non-commissioned  officers  thrash  the  men  till 
they  cannot  stand." 

270 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

And  once  more  George  noticed  that  it  was 
doubly  unpleasant  to  them  all  that  it  was  pre- 
cisely he,  the  only  plebeian  in  the  regiment,  who 
had  discovered  the  bad  state  of  affairs  that 
existed  in  the  company. 

Again  George  passed  through  a  terrible  time ; 
his  position  amongst  the  officers  was  destroyed, 
and  officially  his  life  was  scarcely  endurable. 
His  captain  treated  him  with  a  contempt  which 
often  made  it  scarcely  possible  for  him  to  main- 
tain his  self-control ;  the  colonel  jeered  at  him 
whenever  he  could,  and  in  his  first  lieutenant, 
Baron  von  Masemann,  he  had  an  able  assistant. 
The  latter  entirely  supported  the  captain,  and 
considered  it  now  more  than  ever  his  duty  to 
educate  George  and  to  act  as  his  schoolmaster. 

Meanwhile  the  investigation  was  going  on. 

Immediately  after  the  first  examination  of 
the  accused,  on  account  of  the  seriousness  of  the 
charge,  the  matter  had  to  be  reported  to  the 
division.  Almost  daily  there  were  examinations, 
and  half  the  company  was  always  on  its  way 
to  the  Court  of  Justice.  Then  only  too  soon  the 
whole  extent  of  the  ill-treatment  became  known  ; 
with  the  exception  of  the  few  lance-corporals 
there  was  not  a  single  one  among  von  Nissew's 
men  who  had  not  been  thrashed  till  the  blood 
ran,  and  the  lance-corporals,  urged  on  by  von 
Nissew  and  bribed  by  privileges  which  were  not 
permitted,  had  helped  him  to  the  best  of  their 
power.  They  also  had  struck  and  ill-treated 

271 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

their  companions  as  much  as  they  could.  Other 
officers  as  well  as  von  Nissew  had  ill-treated  their 
men,  though  not  so  badly,  and  in  excuse  for  their 
behaviour  they  had  all  given  the  same  explan- 
ation :  "  The  captain  forbade  us  to  swear  and 
to  use  strong  language.  He  threatened  that  he 
would  not  allow  us  to  re-enlist  if  we  did  not  act 
according  to  his  regulations.  We  did  not  ven- 
ture, therefore,  to  use  any  strong  language  towards 
our  men  ;  if  we  reported  a  man  for  idleness  or 
any  other  cause  he  was  never  punished,  but 
only  warned  to  do  his  duty  in  future.  We  all 
know  that  the  captain  is  anxious  to  show  that 
one  can  command  a  company  without  administer- 
ing punishment." 

The  punishment-books  of  the  company  were 
examined  ;  according  to  the  views  of  the  superior 
authorities  that  company  was  the  best  against 
which  the  fewest  punishments  were  written. 
How  much  unhappiness  have  not  these  punish- 
ment-books caused,  and  how  many  people  have 
not  been  ruined  by  them  ! 

Of  course,  the  superior  authorities  must 
exercise  some  control,  but  not  in  the  manner 
that  rules  at  present.  It  is  difficult  for  the  official 
sitting  at  his  desk  to  judge  if  the  captain  has 
acted  rightly  when  he  punished  a  man  with  three 
days'  arrest.  And  then,  fancy  the  openly- 
avowed  principle  that  that  company  is  the  best 
in  which  the  fewest  punishments  are  officially 
reported !  Nothing  can  be  more  false  than 

272 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

this  or  lead  more  easily  to  wrong  treatment  of 
subordinates.  This  attitude  taken  up  by  the 
authorities  almost  forces  a  captain  to  shut  his 
eyes  and  ears  so  as  not  to  see  or  hear  anything 
that  is  punishable. 

Captain  von  Warnow  had  always  been  opposed 
to  punishments,  the  evidence  showed  that  clear- 
ly ;  he  wanted  to  have  the  best  company,  not 
from  any  exaggerated  military  ambition,  but 
simply  from  personal  feeling.  Men  who  had 
been  punished  were  personally  offensive  to  him, 
and  he  could  never  get  over  this  feeling.  A 
Guardsman  in  his  company  would  receive  a 
reprimand,  but  was  not  put  under  arrest,  and 
so  punishments  in  the  guard-room  became  rarer 
and  rarer.  Thus,  in  consequence  of  their  cap- 
tain's views,  which  were  very  noble  in  theory 
but  impossible  in  practice,  the  non-commissioned 
officers  received  no  support  from  him.  Yet  the 
captain  demanded  a  tremendous  amount  from 
his  non-commissioned  officers ;  the  men  were 
to  be  the  best  in  every  respect,  and  this  could 
not  be  attained  by  kindness  alone.  The  men 
were  not  to  be  punished  officially,  they  were  not 
to  be  cursed  and  sworn  at ;  if  an  officer  only 
looked  threateningly  at  a  man  he  was  warned 
to  treat  him  properly.  What  then  was  there 
for  the  non-commissioned  officers  to  do  but  to 
take  the  matter  into  their  own  hands  ?  They 
vented  their  anger,  not  on  duty,  but  in  secret. 

If  a  man  did  his  drill  badly  this  was  reported 

273  s 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

to  the  captain,  with  the  request  that  the  fellow 
should  be  ordered  to  drill  again,  but  in  the  cap- 
tain's view  such  things  should  not  be  necessary 
in  a  well-ordered  company.  Naturally,  the  non- 
commissioned officers  were  vexed  at  this.  They 
said  to  themselves,  "  The  fellows  simply  laugh 
in  our  faces  when  we  report  them  for  punish- 
ment and  nothing  happens."  So  when  they 
gave  the  men  the  extra  drills  they  gave  them 
with  locked  doors,  and  punished  them  with  the 
utmost  severity.  Cuffs  and  blows  rained  down 
upon  them,  and  whoever  betrayed  by  a  look 
or  a  gesture  that  he  had  not  imagined  it  possible 
to  endure  such  treatment,  was  so  shamefully  ill- 
used  that  he  abandoned  all  idea  of  making  for- 
mal complaint.  Frequently  the  men  had  to 
get  up  at  night  and  do  their  drill  in  the  rooms, 
clad  only  in  their  night-shirts,  and  whoever 
made  a  false  step  was  beaten  with  a  heavy  whip, 
until  the  blood  flowed. 

A  sad  state  of  affairs  was  disclosed  ;  the  whole 
company  was  called  as  witnesses,  and  the  officers 
likewise.  The  two  lieutenants,  Baron  von  Mase- 
mann  as  well  as  George,  said  on  oath  that  they 
had  had  no  idea  of  this  ill-treatment,  that  no 
complaint  had  reached  their  ears,  and  that  they 
had  never  seen  or  heard  anything  suspicious 
when  patrolling  the  rooms. 

The  examination  of  Captain  von  Warnow 
revealed  another  side  of  the  matter.  He  was 
obliged  to  admit  that  what  the  sergeant-major 

274 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

said  was  true.  He  confessed  that  on  different 
occasions  his  attention  had  been  drawn  to  von 
Nissew,  but  he  had  taken  no  notice  of  these 
warnings.  As  a  reason  for  this,  he  could  merely 
allege  that  von  Nissew  had  seemed  to  him  a 
very  kindly  man,  and  that  he  would  never  have 
credited  him  with  such  brutal  behaviour.  Fur- 
ther than  this  he  had  nothing  to  say  in  excuse. 

"  Did  you  not  know,  Captain  von  Warnow, 
that  it  was  your  duty  to  find  out  whether  the 
complaints  made  against  the  non-commissioned 
officer  were  true  or  not  ?  "  asked  the  judge- 
advocate  who  conducted  the  investigation. 

Captain  von  Warnow  stood  up  proudly.  "  I 
believe  that  I  have  done  my  duty  in  every  respect. 
I  have  continually  warned  my  officers  to  treat 
the  men  properly." 

The  judge-advocate  entered  this  statement 
on  the  protocol,  then  he  said :  "  Non-Com- 
missioned  Officer  von  Nissew  alleges  as  an  excuse 
for  his  conduct  that  you,  sir,  told  him  to  deal 
individually  with  all  the  weaklings  and  the 
blockheads,  as  he  expresses  it.  He  regarded 
this  as  permission  to  give  the  men  extra  drills, 
and  he  alleges  that  it  was  simply  his  military 
zeal  and  the  feeling  of  responsibility  for  the 
trust  reposed  in  him  which  led  him  into  striking 
the  men.  May  I  ask  why  you  entrusted  so 
young  a  non-commissioned  officer  with  so  much 
authority  over  the  men  ?  In  my  opinion,  sir, 
you  thus  gave  the  non-commissioned  officer 

275 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

opportunity  and  occasion  to  ill-treat  the 
men." 

"  That  is  merely  your  opinion,  sir.  I  chose 
the  non-commissioned  officer  who  seemed  to 
me  most  suitable  in  every  respect  for  this  indi- 
vidual training,  if  I  may  so  express  it." 

"  Did  it  ever  strike  you  von  Nissew's  men 
very  frequently  limped  or  marched  badly  ?  Did 
you  never  inquire  what  was  the  matter,  and  did 
you  never  try  to  find  out  whether  these  accidents 
of  which  they  spoke  really  did  happen  ?  Just 
now,  when  there  are  so  many  cases  of  ill-treat- 
ment, you  ought  certainly  to  have  inquired  into 
the  meaning  of  these  injuries.  It  must  have 
seemed  to  you  very  curious  that  these  accidents 
were  of  frequent  occurrence  among  von  Nissew's 
men." 

Captain  von  Warnow  had  listened  to  the  judge- 
advocate  with  astonishment,  now  he  said  :  "It 
almost  seems  to  me  as  if  you  want  to  make  me 
indirectly  responsible  for  the  whole  affair.  I 
must  defend  myself  energetically  against  such 
an  idea." 

The  judge  looked  at  him  straight.  "  I  am 
certainly  of  the  opinion  that  you  are  so  far  guilty 
in  that  you  failed  to  maintain  proper  super- 
vision over  your  non-commissioned  officers.  I  feel 
it  my  duty  to  state  this  in  the  official  document." 

The  result  of  this  was  that  Captain  von  War- 
now  was  formally  charged  with  being  indirectly 
answerable  for  the  ill-treatment,  because  he 

276 


HUMILIATION  OF  GOLDEN  BUTTERFLIES 

had  not  sufficiently  looked  after  his  non-com- 
missioned officers. 

Captain  von  Warnow  was  suspended,  and 
Baron  von  Masemann  was  given  the  command 
of  the  company.  It  was  the  sensation  of  the 
day.  Everybody  was  astounded,  but  the  news 
disturbed  George  more  than  anyone  else.  He 
had  neither  intended  nor  desired  that  his  report 
should  have  such  consequences.  According  to 
the  views  expressed  in  the  Casino,  von  Warnow 
would  be  confined  to  his  own  quarters  for  at 
least  a  month  ;  perhaps  he  would  also  be  forced 
to  resign  ;  and,  in  any  case,  he  could  not  remain 
any  longer  in  the  regiment. 

The  anger  of  all  was  poured  forth  upon  George, 
who  had  been  the  cause  of  all  the  misfortune. 
George  suffered  terribly  from  the  unspoken 
complaints  of  the  others ;  he  withdrew  com- 
pletely from  his  comrades,  and  lived  solitary. 
He  was  not  in  the  mood  to  go  into  Society,  and, 
indeed,  how  would  he  have  been  received  ?  As 
long  as  the  examination  of  his  captain  was  pro- 
ceeding, the  latter  did  not  go  into  Society,  and 
the  result  was  that  his  women  folk  also  abstained 
from  all  gaieties.  So  George  had  no  chance  of 
talking  to  Hildegarde,  though  just  at  this  very 
time  he  would  so  much  have  liked  to  see  her, 
and  to  hear  from  her  whether  she  condemned 
and  misjudged  his  action,  and  whether  she  was 
deeply  angry  with  him  for  having  involved  her 
relative  in  so  much  shame  and  unpleasantness. 

277 


CHAPTER  X 
AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

SENTENCE  had  been  pronounced.  Non-Com- 
missioned  Officer  von  Nissew  received  eighteen 
months'  imprisonment  and  at  the  same  time 
he  was  reduced  to  the  ranks  ;  four  other  non- 
commissioned officers  of  the  company  received 
six  months'.  A  few  days  later  the  court-martial 
sentenced  Captain  von  Warnow  to  four  weeks' 
imprisonment  in  a  fortress,  because,  by  not 
properly  supervising  his  non-commissioned  officers 
he  had  contributed  to  the  ill-treatment. 

The  "  Golden  Butterflies  "  crept  about  quite 
broken-hearted.  There  was  no  laughter  or  merri- 
ment in  the  Casino  now  ;  they  scarcely  ventured, 
indeed,  to  give  orders  to  the  orderlies,  for  what 
must  they  think  of  their  superiors  ?  If  only 
the  proceedings  could  have  been  carried  on 
without  publicity  !  but  a  charge  brought  into 
a  law  court  could  not  be  disposed  of  in  this 
manner,  and  so  the  whole  ugly  story  was  once 
more  in  the  newspapers.  The  Press  of  all  shades 
of  opinion  expressed  the  severest  judgment  on 
the  events ;  they  threatened,  indeed,  to  ask  a 

278 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

question  in  the  Reichstag  as  to  how  such  occur- 
rences were  possible,  and  the  case  aroused  long 
discussions  concerning  the  value  of  regulations 
against  the  ill-treatment  of  soldiers,  when  the 
superior  officers  did  not  insist  upon  them  being 
carried  out.  The  newspapers  were  daily  filled 
with  long  reports. 

But  even  that  was  not  the  worst.  His  Majesty 
had  had  a  long  detailed  report  of  the  affair,  and 
had  demanded  the  documents,  and  in  unmis- 
takable language  he  had  informed  the  officers 
and  non-commissioned  officers  that  they  had 
forfeited  his  favour  and  patronage,  and  that  it 
would  be  a  very  long  time  before  they  would 
regain  his  confidence. 

"  We've  had  a  knock-down  blow ;  "  some- 
body at  dinner  used  the  expression,  and  struck 
the  nail  on  the  head  ;  "  The  Golden  Butterflies  " 
had  had  a  severe  blow.  They  were  conscious 
of  tin's  in  the  way  they  were  regarded  in  Society  ; 
their  comrades  in  the  other  distinguished  regi- 
ments quietly  but  unmistakably  withdrew  from 
any  intercourse  with  them.  Not  precisely  from 
any  profound  conviction,  not  indeed  because 
the  others  were  enraged  that  such  things  should 
happen  in  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  "  ;  it  was 
indeed  no  concern  of  theirs  if  someone  hi  the 
regiment  was  chased  about  with  blows.  Similar 
things  happened  every  day  in  their  own  regi- 
ment ;  in  the  Cavalry  there  was  scarcely  a  riding 
lesson  when  someone  or  other  did  not  feel  the 

279 


whip.  Blows  were  given  everywhere,  in  some 
regiments  more,  in  some  less,  and  when,  there- 
fore, the  other  regiments  officially  declined 
intercourse  with  the  "  Golden  Butterflies "  it 
was  simply  and  solely  on  the  score  of  the  pub- 
licity. It  would  make  a  good  impression  on 
the  public  if  they  were  somewhat  reserved  in 
their  behaviour  to  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  "  ; 
it  would  appear  as  if  they  were  better  men. 
And  added  to  this,  His  Majesty's  words  soon 
became  known,  and,  therefore,  it  was  only  prudent 
to  be  a  little  cold  towards  the  "  Golden  Butter- 
flies," for  if  His  Majesty  ceased  to  bestow  his 
favours  upon  the  regiment,  it  was  certainly  quite 
impossible  for  other  people  to  protect  it. 

Yes  the  "  Golden  Butterflies "  had  fallen 
from  their  high  estate.  They  saw  it  most  dis- 
tinctly when  they  gave  their  first  banquet  after 
the  unhappy  event.  As  usual,  they  had  sent 
invitations  to  the  other  regiments,  but  almost 
all  had  declined,  only  a  few  young  fellows,  whose 
coming  was  of  no  importance,  had  accepted. 

Baron  Gersbach,  the  Uhlan,  did  not  come, 
though  Count  Wettborn  personally  invited  him, 
and  promised  him  a  long  night  of  gambling. 

But  Baron  Gersbach  still  declined.  "  Do 
not  take  it  as  an  offence,  my  dear  count,  but 
affairs  are  not  quite  as  they  ought  to  be  in  your 
regiment ;  too  much  about  them  has  got  into 
the  newspapers,  and  who  can  guarantee  that 
one  of  your  men  or  one  of  your  non-commissioned 

280 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

officers  who  is  occupied  in  attending  on  us  will 
not  run  round  to  a  newspaper  and  relate  piping 
hot  all  that  we  have  been  doing.  When  one 
of  your  lieutenants,  through  a  perfectly  inex- 
cusable indiscretion,  draws  down  upon  you  such 
a  scandal,  one  cannot  any  longer  wonder  if  your 
men  do  the  same  thing.  Well,  I  don't  want 
any  of  that,  thank  you.  I  have  no  desire  to 
get  into  the  newspapers ;  I  can  assure  you  I 
was  delighted  to  get  off  so  easily  when  Willberg 
disappeared  from  this  earthly  scene.  Do  not 
be  vexed  with  me  for  speaking  so  frankly,  but 
as  long  as  you  have  such  people  among  you  as 
Winkler,  we  cannot  keep  up  friendly  relations 
with  you." 

In  vain  Count  Wettborn  sought  to  say  a  good 
word  on  behalf  of  George,  but  it  was  of  no  avail. 

"  Certainly,  he  has  the  best  intentions," 
agreed  the  Uhlan  ;  "  but  good  intentions  alone 
are  not  sufficient ;  as  sensible  and  experienced 
men,  one  must  consider  consequences.  Now 
the  consequences  of  his  actions  you  know  better 
than  I  do,  and  the  whole  affair  is  by  no  means 
pleasant  for  us.  As  Guard  regiments  we  form 
one  whole,  and,  therefore,  what  affects  one  casts 
its  shadow  on  the  others  likewise,  for  people 
do  not  say  such  and  such  a  thing  happened 
in  the  '  Golden  Butterflies,'  but  simply  '  in  the 
Guards.'  Such  a  thing  is  frightful,  for  more 
than  all  the  other  regiments  we  must  maintain 
outwardly,  at  any  rate,  a  good  reputation, 

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LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

Something  more  than  the  ordinary  performance 
of  our  military  duties  is  demanded  from  us, 
and,  therefore,  we  are  sometimes  obliged  to 
act  with  exceptional  severity  against  our  men. 
And  then  suddenly  an  idealistic  reformer  comes 
along,  who  wants  to  do  away  with  all  cuffs 
and  blows ;  that  is  all  very  well  in  theory,  but 
when  it  provokes  open  scandal,  one  simply  can't 
have  anything  more  to  do  with  him." 

So  the  count  was  obliged  to  depart  without 
having  obtained  his  object,  and  though  until 
then,  from  a  feeling  of  justice,  he  had  been  the 
only  one  who  took  George's  part,  he  now  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  impossible  for 
Winkler  to  remain  any  longer  in  the  regiment. 

With  this  idea  in  his  mind  the  count  spoke 
one  day  to  the  colonel.  "  We  can't  go  on  much 
longer  like  this,  sir,  we  are  almost  boycotted, 
we  shall  never  get  another  guest  as  long  as 
Winkler  is  here.  He  has  brought  us  and  himself, 
let  alone  everyone  else,  into  discredit.  Formerly 
one  could  not  allege  anything  against  him  except 
his  plebeian  descent,  but  now  there  is  a  very 
strong  feeling  among  the  officers  that  he  only 
lodged  the  complaint  because  he  is  plebeian." 

The  colonel  looked  up  with  astonishment. 
"  I  do  not  understand  what  you  mean." 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,  the  thing  is  very  simple.. 
The  officers  believe  that  in  giving  this  official 
information,  Winkler,  to  a  certain  extent,  wanted 
to  have  his  revenge,  because  we  had  not  extended 

282 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

to  him  the  hand  of  fellowship  as  he  had  expected. 
He  has,  therefore,  served  us  this  trick  and  meant 
to  signify  :  '  I  am  the  only  plebeian  among  you, 
but  my  ways  are  far  more  seemly  than  yours ; 
simply  to  avoid  discredit  falling  upon  your 
regiment  and  your  proud  aristocratic  names,  you 
shut  your  eyes  and  ears,  and  permit  your  men 
to  be  ill-treated.  But  I  can  act  and  think  with 
less  prejudice,  I  am  less  hide-bound  by  the 
"  caste  "  feeling  which  bids  you  preserve  appear- 
ances, and  so  I  can  act  as  my  conscience  dictates. 
I  am  guided  by  my  feeling  of  what  is  right  alone 
and  not  by  false  prejudices.' ' 

"  But  that's  simply  nonsense,"  exclaimed  the 
colonel. 

"  It  may  be,  and  I  daresay  such  considerations 
are  far  removed  from  Winkler,  but  the  officers 
credit  him  with  these,  and  so  what  can  one  do  ? 
Nothing  is  more  difficult  than  to  talk  the  officers 
out  of  an  idea  which  they  have  firmly  seized 
upon — you  know  that,  sir,  do  you  not  ?  " 

The  colonel  groaned.  "  God  knows  it  cost  me 
trouble  enough  before  to  try  and  get  the  lieuten- 
ants to  try  and  listen  a  little  to  reason." 

He  lit  his  cigar  again  which  had  gone  out, 
and  blew  out  great  clouds  of  smoke. 

"  Dear  count,  let  me  give  you  some  good 
advice.  If  you  are  not  given  a  pension  soon 
then  leave  the  army  before  you  become  the 
colonel  and  commander  of  a  regiment.  I  can 
assure  you  our  path  is  not  strewn  with  roses; 

283 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

we  are  answerable  for  everything ;  for  the 
training  of  the  troops,  the  tone  hi  the  regiment, 
for  the  non-commissioned  officers,  and  last,  but 
not  least,  for  the  officers.  It  is  a  vale  of  tears. 
No,  I  do  not  want  to  commit  a  sin,"  he  continued 
reflectively,  "  I  have  every  reason,  therefore, 
to  be  grateful  to  Heaven,  for  had  I  known  that 
I  should  live  to  see  this  day,  I  should  have  taken 
poison." 

He  pulled  at  his  collar  with  his  right  hand 
to  make  it  easier,  for  he  suddenly  felt  as  if  he 
were  being  throttled. 

Then  suddenly  he  struck  the  table  with  a 
tremendous  blow,  so  that  the  count,  who  mean- 
while had  been  occupied  in  admiring  his  most 
up-to-date  patent  shoes,  started  with  fright. 
The  colonel  noticed  it,  but  paid  no  attention  to 
it.  "  It  is  a  scandalous  thing,"  he  burst  forth 
in  a  rage ;  "we  have  weathered  two  storms 
successfully  and  now  a  third  threatens,  called 
Winkler.  May  God  pardon  me  the  sin,  but  I 
wish  he  had  never  been  born,  or  at  least  had  never 
come  among  us.  He  has  certainly  got  no  pleasure 
out  of  it,  and  neither  have  we."  The  colonel 
nervously  patted  his  somewhat  thin  hair  with 
his  right  hand.  "  You  are  quite  right,  my  dear 
count,  when  you  say  quite  simply  we  shall 
never  regain  our  credit  until  we  have  got  rid  of 
Winkler.  You  call  my  attention  to  the  im- 
possible state  of  affairs  among  the  officers  and 
declare  we  cannot  alter  that  until  we  get  rid  of 

284 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

Winkler.  It  is  all  very  well  to  say  that,  but 
how  will  you  get  rid  of  him  ?  I  cannot  indeed 
suggest  any  reasons  for  his  exchange ;  when 
His  Majesty  learns  the  real  reason,  when  he 
hears  that  even  a  single  officer  in  the  regiment 
does  not  hold  Winkler  in  high  esteem,  and  that 
it  was  he  who  gave  information  of  the  ill-treat- 
ment, then "  and  the  colonel  shook  his  head. 

"  It's  not  to  be  thought  about ;  there  will  be 
such  a  crash  as  makes  me  shudder  to  think  of. 
I  told  you  how  extremely  highly  and  appreciatively 
His  Majesty  spoke  of  Winkler.  Well,  when  I 
inform  His  Majesty  that  the  man  does  not 
suit  us,  we  shall  get  something  compared  with 
which  all  former  ungracious  remarks  of  His 
Majesty  were  but  child's  play.  With  all  respect 
to  my  most  gracious  Sovereign,  I  cannot  help 
saying,  '  Do  not  go  to  your  prince  unless  you 
are  summoned.'  I  cannot,  you  see,  suggest  any 
reason  to  Winkler  for  his  exchange,  for  if  we  are 
to  be  just,  it  must  be  confessed  there  is  abso- 
lutely nothing  against  him." 

The  count  went  on  polishing  up  his  eyeglass, 
then  he  said :  "  What  you  say,  sir,  is  very 
just.  I  was  thinking  over  the  matter  last  night, 
and  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be 
ever  so  much  better  if  Winkler's  exchange  did 
not  emanate  from  us ;  he  must  himself  apply 
for  it,  and  if  he  will  not  do  that,  we  must  persuade 
him  to  get  a  year's  furlough.  Probably  he  would 
consider  the  matter  in  the  interval,  and  would 

285 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

not  care  to  put  on  a  uniform  again.  But  still, 
even  if  he  does,  after  the  disagreeable  experience 
he  has  had  with  us,  he  will  certainly  not  desire 
to  rejoin  us,  but  will  get  into  another  regiment." 

The  colonel  had  been  listening  attentively, 
now  he  nodded  approvingly.  "  That  would  do, 
dear  count,  that's  not  a  bad  way  out  of  the 
difficulty.  Of  course,  I  would  recommend  him 
most  warmly  for  leave  of  absence,  and  as  His 
Majesty  regards  him  with  great  favour,  there  is 
not  the  slightest  doubt  that  his  request  would 
be  granted — if  we  can  only  once  get  him  to 
make  the  request." 

"  We  shall  soon  be  able  to  do  that,  sir,  I  will 
speak  to  him  at  the  very  earliest  oppor- 
tunity." 

In  the  evening  of  the  same  day  on  which 
the  count  and  the  colonel  had  been  talking 
over  George's  future,  George  also  conversed  with 
Olga  on  the  same  subject. 

"  I  am  tired  of  the  whole  thing,  Olga,  I  shall 
not  stay  here  any  longer  ;  I  am  sick  of  knocking 
my  head  against  a  stone  wall  that  divides  me 
from  my  fellow-officers.  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  to-day,  I  shall  give  in  my  resignation." 

Olga,  who  lately  had  been  almost  daily  with 
George,  and  to  whom  he  frankly  expressed  all 
his  thoughts,  had  clearly  foreseen  that  sooner  or 
later  it  would  come  to  this,  nevertheless  she  was 
startled  by  his  words,  and  sought  to  dissuade 
him  but  in  vain. 

286 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

"  At  least  exchange  into  another  regiment/' 
she  begged. 

But  George  shook  his  head.  "  There's  no  object 
in  that,  dear.  I  know,  of  course,  I  should  not 
be  transferred  to  a  miserable  frontier  garrison 
where  one  is  nearly  driven  crazy ;  on  the  con- 
trary, I  should  be  sent  to  some  fine  town,  but 
what  should  I  do  there  ?  I  know  that  I  should 
take  a  certain  position  there,  for  one  thing 
because  I  have  been  in  the  Guards,  if  only  for  a 
very  short  time,  and  that  is  thought  much  of 
in  the  provinces,  and  for  another,  because  I  am 
a  rich  man.  For  the  latter  reason  alone  I  shall 
be  heartily  welcomed,  for  everybody  will  be 
delighted  to  be  able  to  borrow  from  me.  I  know 
that  from  my  former  experience  in  the  garrison, 
in  all  these  little  towns  a  newcomer  who  can  be 
regarded  as  a  new  source  for  loans,  is  f§ted  and 
welcomed  like  a  god :  and  everybody  borrows 
money  from  him,  from  the  captain  down  to  the 
youngest  lieutenant — even  the  ensign  plucks 
up  his  courage  by  aid  of  a  drink,  and  requests  the 
lieutenant  most  respectfully  for  a  loan  of  twenty 
marks.  I  know  the  whole  thing.  I  never  asked 
for  a  promissory  note  when  I  lent  the  money, 
but  they  always  gave  me  one,  for  in  such  matters, 
one  must  preserve  formality  and  act  correctly, 
but  not  a  single  man  ever  redeemed  his  I  0  U. 
They  are  all  lying  now  in  my  writing-desk, 
carefully  arranged,  to  some  extent  a  contribution 
to  the  history  of  the  manners  and  morals  of 

287 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

German  lieutenants,  a  contribution  to  the  study 
of  the  characteristics  of  '  aristocratic  persons.' ' 

He  had  risen  and  opened  a  drawer  and  was 
turning  over  the  papers  which  he  had  taken 
out  of  a  case. 

"  Look  at  these,  Olga,  you  need  not  read 
the  names,  they  are  of  no  interest  to  you.  Here 
is  written  :  '  Herewith  I  pledge  my  word  of  honour 
to  return  the  loan  of  five  hundred  marks  within 
the  next  three  months  at  latest.'  '  Herewith 
I  give  my  word  of  honour  to  return  the  thousand 

marks  lent  me  to-day  within '  and  on, 

dear.  Dozens  of  these  documents  are  lying 
here ;  dozens  of  unredeemed  pledges  given  on 
their  word  of  honour,  and  yet  these  very  men 
who  have  broken  their  pledge  are  going  about  in 
the  world  as  haughty  officers."  He  was  silent 
for  a  moment,  then  he  said,  "  By  Jove  !  these 
lieutenants  are  quite  different  from  other  people  ; 
to  a  certain  extent  they  form  a  class  by  them- 
selves, and  their  ignorance  and  lack  of  under- 
standing in  certain  matters  are  really  more 
than  naive.  I  confess  I  don't  understand  these 
aristocratic  persons,  and  because  I  don't  under- 
stand them  I  can  find  no  excuse  for  their  doings 
and  acts,  their  thoughts  and  their  feelings. 
I  can  forgive  them  for  what  they  have  done  to 
me,  difficult  though  that  is,  but  I  can  scarcely 
endure  their  fine  airs  in  Society,  especially  when 
there  is  scarcely  any  other  class  whose  general 
education  is  so  poor  and  lamentable  as  that  of 

288 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

the  officers.    I  was  indeed  nearly  going  to  say  they 
could  neither  read  nor  write  properly." 

"  Now,  now,  George,"  admonished  Olga,  "  you 
must  not  exaggerate  because  you  are  angry." 

"  I  am  not  angry,  I  am  only  sad  that  things 
are  so  bad  with  our  officers.  But  I  really  believe 
I  have  under-stated  the  case.  The  lieutenants 
can  read,  but  can  they  also  write  ?  Look  at 
these  begging  letters  and  promissory  notes  which 
I  just  showed  you ;  you  will  find  beauties  of 
style  there,  compared  with  which  those  of  the 
everlasting  fourth-form  boy  of  the  comic  papers 
are  mere  nothings.  But  that  is  not  all.  You 
will  find  such  spelling  as  would  bring  down  public 
rebuke  upon  a  third-form  boy.  You  may  laugh, 
Olga,  but  what  I  tell  you  is  the  sad  fact.  Of 
course,  my  remarks  only  referred  to  the  lieutenants, 
and  not  to  the  superior  officers,  but  how  often 
have  I  not  noticed  even  among  them  how  terribly 
embarrassed  they  are  if  they  have  to  make  a 
report  suddenly.  Every  word  is  such  an  effort 
to  them  that  one  feels  truly  sorry  for  them. 
Yet,  in  spite  of  all  this,  in  spite  of  the  lack  of  the 
simplest  culture,  all  this  arrogance  and  self- 
complacence  !  Naturally,  every  one  ought  to  be 
proud  of  his  calling,  but  this  pride  ought  not  to 
degenerate  into  a  perfectly  fanatical  arrogance. 
Formerly  people  spoke  of  the  young,  well- 
educated,  knightly  lieutenants,  the  perfect  cava- 
liers. Where  are  they  now  ?  You  must  go 
with  a  lantern  and  search  for  them.  I  have 
289  T 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

scarcely  known  one  during  my  time  of  service, 
and  the  few  who  enter  the  army  straight  from 
their  home,  fresh  and  unspoiled,  are  only  too 
quickly  infected  with  the  spirit  of  caste,  and  the 
demon  of  haughtiness  takes  possession  of  them. 
Ask  the  parents  whose  sons  have  become  officers 
whether  they  are  not  often  shocked  at  the  conceit 
and  pretentiousness  of  the  young  fellows  for 
whom  the  best  is  not  considered  good  enough ; 
whether  they  have  not  often  bitterly  repented 
having  allowed  their  sons  to  choose  a  profession 
which  often  estranges  them  from  their  own  parents, 
who  are  too  often  only  regarded  as  the  source 
of  money  for  their  frivolous  or  luxurious  lives." 

"  George,  you  are  exaggerating  absurdly," 
said  Olga,  rebukingly. 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  I  can  only  say 
I  have  often  known  young  lieutenants  who  are 
really  ashamed  because  their  fathers  are  teachers 
or  something  similar,  but  in  spite  of  this  they 
are  not  ashamed  to  send  home  for  more  money 
in  order  to  maintain  a  good  appearance.  They 
wish — no,  according  to  their  view  they  must 
give  the  idea  of  coming  from  good  families.  I 
was  once  at  dinner  and  I  heard  with  my  own 
ears  how  a  lieutenant  pretended  his  father  was 
a  pensioned  officer  because  he  felt  embarrassed 
at  having  to  say  he  was  a  doctor." 

"  Fi,  that's  a  beautiful  idea  ?  " 

Count  Wettborn  had,  therefore,  an  easy  task 
when  he  came  to  persuade  George  to  go  on 

290 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

furlough.  He  was  much  astonished  when  he 
heard  that  George  was  quite  determined  to 
send  in  his  resignation,  and  to  enter  his  father's 
factory ;  but,  naturally,  he  made  no  attempt 
to  dissuade  him. 

"  And  when  do  you  think  of  sending  in  your 
request  ?  " 

"  In  a  day  or  two.  My  father  writes  to  me 
that  he  is  commanded  to  an  audience  with 
His  Majesty,  and  that  he  will  be  here  at  the 
beginning  of  next  week.  Although  I  am  a  com- 
pletely free  agent  in  this  matter,  and  can  go 
and  come  as  I  like,  still  I  think  it  is  my  duty 
to  inform  my  father  of  my  resolution  as  soon  as 
possible." 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  agreed  Count  Wettborn, 
"  a  week  sooner  or  later  makes  no  difference." 

And  that  was  just  what  the  officers  thought 
when  they  heard  that  Winkler  was  going.  Whether 
he  remained  a  week  more  or  less — that  was  a 
matter  of  no  importance — the  thing  was,  they 
were  going  to  get  rid  of  him. 

"  I  say,  boys,  we'll  be  a  little  bit  nice  to  him 
during  these  last  few  days,"  suggested  one  of 
the  officers.  "  We  will  behave  as  if  we  were 
rather  sorry  that  he's  going,  for,  after  all,  it's 
not  exactly  his  fault  that  he  doesn't  suit  us. 
Besides,  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  us  if  the 
memory  of  his  last  days  among  us  was  a  pleasant 
one  ;  later  on  he  will  often  tell  stories  of  the  days 
when  he  had  the  honour  of  belonging  to  us, 

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LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

and  although,  of  course,  it  doesn't  really  matter 
what  he  says  about  us  to  his  shopkeeper  friends, 
still,  it  won't  do  us  any  harm  if  he  says,  '  The 
"  Golden  Butterflies  "  are  a  damned  fine  regi- 
ment; they're  a  charming  set  of  good-hearted, 
dear  fellows  who  are  second  to  none  in  their 
friendliness  and  good  fellowship.' ' 

But  the  proposal  evoked  no  response.  "  For 
his  own  sake  he  won't  say  much  about  his  dealings 
with  us  and  how  we  drove  him  out." 

But  they  all  agreed,  however,  to  drop  every 
appearance  of  ill-will  and  to  be,  at  least  out- 
wardly, polite  and  amiable  during  these  last  days. 

George  could  scarcely  suppress  a  contemptuous 
laugh  when  he  noticed  the  sudden  change  of 
feeling,  and  an  ironical  word  was  always  on  the 
tip  of  his  tongue  when  his  comrades  asked  sym- 
pathetically after  his  future  plans,  and  feigned 
interest  in  all  his  concerns.  Often  he  was  sorely 
tempted  to  cry  out — "  Don't  trouble  yourselves, 
you  know  you  can't  disguise  your  joy  in  getting 
rid  of  me."  But  he  was  silent.  What  was  the 
good  of  saying  anything,  the  officers  would  not 
have  admitted  their  true  feelings. 

One  day  at  lunch  a  comrade  went  so  far  as 
to  offer  him  a  glass  of  champagne.  He  had  just 
won  a  few  hundred  marks  in  the  Prussian 
lottery  and  had  received  permission  from  the  eldest 
officer  at  the  table  to  celebrate  it  in  this  way. 

Winkler  could  scarcely  believe  his  ears  when 
his  companion  said  to  him  :  "  You'll  do  me  the 

292 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

pleasure  of  drinking  a  glass  of  champagne  with 
me,  won't  you  ?  " 

George's  first  instinct  was  to  cry  out :  "  During 
the  whole  time  that  I  have  been  here  not  a  single 
human  being  has  shown  me  the  least  kindliness ; 
I  must,  therefore,  decline  the  honour."  Anger 
and  indignation  rose  within  him  that  now,  just 
as  he  was  leaving,  anyone  should  dare  to  show 
hospitality  to  him,  but  suddenly  his  sense  of 
humour  got  the  upper  hand,  the  invitation 
seemed  so  utterly  absurd,  and  he  accepted  it 
with  thanks.  "  But  only  on  one  condition," 
he  added,  following  a  sudden  impulse,  and  then 
in  a  loud  voice  so  that  everyone  could  hear, 
"  On  the  day  when  my  resignation  is  accepted 
I  should  like  to  give  a  solemn  farewell  banquet 
to  my  fellow-officers.  I  can  only  accept  an 
invitation  if  I  know  that  I  shall  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  returning  it.  You  will  come,  will  you 
not,"  he  said,  turning  to  his  host,  "  and  you — 
and  you  and  you  ?  "  He  invited  everybody  at 
the  long  table,  and  not  a  single  one  refused ;  all 
were  thinking  the  same  thing :  "  If  it  pleases 
him,  why  on  earth  shouldn't  we  for  once  have  a 
good  spread  at  his  expense  ?  One  isn't,  there- 
fore, pledged  to  anything,  the  thing  need  go  no 
further." 

George  was  overcome  by  a  feeling  of  repug- 
nance towards  his  comrades  when  he  found  that 
they  all  accepted  his  invitation :  were  they  not 
ashamed  of  accepting  hospitality  from  a  man 

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LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

whom  they  had  treated  so  badly  ?  He  had  been 
joking  when  he  gave  the  invitation,  and  had  felt 
quite  certain  that  they  would  all  have  made 
excuses  of  some  sort  or  another,  and  he  had  been 
pleased  at  the  idea  of  these  excuses,  and  now 
they  had,  one  and  all,  accepted !  And  it  did 
not  stop  there ;  the  officers  inquired  when  and 
where  the  dinner  would  be ;  not  in  the  club- 
room,  it  was  to  be  hoped.  The  rooms,  of  course, 
were  beautiful,  but  always  the  same  food.  How 
nice  it  would  be  to  have  it  in  one  of  the  best 
restaurants  !  A  few  pounds  more  or  less  wouldn't 
matter  to  him,  of  course,  and  they  hoped  he 
would  order  French  champagne  only. 

"  I  heard  rather  a  good  story  lately  about 
that,"  said  one  of  the  officers ;  "  let's  see,  what 
was  it  ?  Oh,  yes,  I  remember ;  If  you  give 
your  guest  German  champagne  and  tell  him  it  is 
French,  he  will  not  be  deceived,  and  will  not 
drink  it ;  but  give  him  French  champagne  and 
say  it  is  German  he'll  drink  it  right  enough. 
Mind  you  make  a  note  of  that,  Winkler."  George 
promised  to  remember  this  and  to  send  the 
invitations  as  soon  as  he  had  spoken  to  his  father 
about  it. 

"  When  is  your  father  coming  ?  "  George  him- 
self did  not  know,  and  expected  him  daily ;  so 
did  the  "  Golden  Butterflies."  They  began  to  get 
anxious  when  still  the  old  fellow  did  not  come. 
What  if  he  was  not  coming  at  all?  Perhaps 
it  had  been  the  stratagem  of  George's  to  speak 

294 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

about  his  resignation  and  to  try  and  produce 
a  change  of  feeling  towards  him ;  perhaps  the 
old  fellow  would  not  appear  for  ages,  and  it  had 
been  a  trick  of  George's  to  make  fools  of  them, 
to  make  merry  at  their  expense,  and  to  a  certain 
extent  to  have  his  revenge  on  them. 

They  were  getting  frightfully  anxious  about 
the  matter ;  the  joy,  therefore,  was  great  when 
one  day  at  lunch  in  the  Casino  George's  fellow- 
officer  in  his  company,  Baron  von  Masemann, 
informed  them  :  "  The  manufacturer  of  trouser 
buttons  has  arrived.  I  saw  him  last  night  in  a 
restaurant." 

"  Thank  Heaven !  "  was  uttered  by  all ;  and 
then  the  question  was  immediately  asked,"  What's 
he  like  ?  " 

"  Quite  impossible.  The  fellow  wears  a  ready- 
made  tie,  unstarched  cuffs,  and  a  pair  of  boots 
that  one  can  see  at  a  glance  were  never  made  in 
Berlin ;  and  then  at  dinner  the  fellow  cuts  his 
bread  with  a  knife  instead  of  breaking  it." 

"  How  awful !  " 

An  exclamation  of  genuine  indignation  arose 
from  all  present. 

"  Do  stop,"  implored  a  young  lieutenant ; 
"  remember  we  have  only  just  had  our  lunch." 

"  Calm  yourselves,  my  friends,"  continued  the 
baron ;  "in  spite  of  all  drawbacks  the  old  boy 
has  one  great  advantage." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  " 

"  He  has  a  daughter." 

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LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

"  What,  really !  Winkler  never  told  us  a 
word  about  it." 

All  surrounded  the  speaker,  eager  with  curiosity. 

"  Is  she  pretty  ?  "  asked  one  at  last,  and  the 
others  pressed  more  closely  to  hear  the  answer. 

The  baron  purposely  delayed  his  answer  for 
some  time,  then  he  said :  "  Pretty  ?  my  dear 
boys,  she's  much  more  than  that,  and  although 
she  comes  from  the  provinces  she's  awfully  chic. 
But  you  must  see  her  figure.  I  can  tell  you 
"  and  he  smacked  his  tongue. 

"  Did  you  get  introduced  to  her  ?  " 

"  Unfortunately,  no ;  I  was  with  friends  in 
the  restaurant,  and  had  no  opportunity  of  getting 
rid  of  them,  but  this  evening  it  will  be  all  right. 
I  heard  quite  by  chance  that  the  old  trouser- 
button  manufacturer  reserved  a  table  for  himself 
for  to-day.  I  shall  take  good  care  to  be  there, 
and  when  once  I  am  introduced  to  the  young 
lady  I  have  no  fear  about  conquering." 

"  In  other  words,  you  are  trying  to  catch  the 
gold  fish." 

Baron  von  Masemann  calmly  lit  a  cigarette. 
"  Someone  will  marry  her.  Why  shouldn't  I  be 
that  someone  ?  " 

"  Quite  so,  but  do  you  think  the  coup  will  be 
successful  ?  " 

The  baron  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Who 
can  say  ?  One  can  but  try.  After  all,  one  can't 
get  more  than  a  refusal  at  the  worst.  And  then 
why  should  the  old  boy  say  '  No,'  if  I  only  succeed 

296 


in  making  the  daughter  infatuated  about  me  ? 
My  family  is  first-class.  I  myself  am  not  worse 
than  other  fellows,  and  the  few  debts  I  have  are 
of  no  importance  ;  the  old  fellow  has  plenty  of 
money,  and  ought  to  be  delighted  if  he  can  get 
such  an  aristocratic  son-in-law  for  his  money." 

The  others  quite  agreed ;  what  reason  indeed 
could  the  father  and  daughter  possibly  have  for 
not  receiving  the  baron  with  open  arms  ?  And 
thereupon  several  of  them  regarded  the  suggested 
engagement  as  a  fait  accompli. 

"  Were  you  on  friendly  terms  with  Winkler 
when  you  were  together  in  the  company  ?  " 
one  of  the  men  asked.  "  Perhaps  he'll  have  a 
word  to  say  in  the  matter." 

"  I  was  thinking  about  that  last  night,"  replied 
Masemann.  "  We  were  certainly  not  particu- 
larly friendly,  but  still  Winkler  ought  to  be  very 
glad  to  have  me  for  a  brother-in-law.  In  this 
way  he  will  remain  to  a  certain  extent  connected 
with  the  regiment,  and  that  is  really  of  very  great 
advantage  to  him.  Only  think  what  a  position 
the  fellow  will  be  able  to  take  in  Society  if  he  can 
say,  '  My  brother-in-law,  Baron  Von  Masemann.' 
That  is  almost  as  valuable  to  him  as  being  aristo- 
cratic himself.  Naturally  I  shall  manage  not 
to  have  too  much  of  my  brother-in-law,  and  shall 
see  that  he  is  not  always  running  in  and  out  of 
my  house  ;  but  that's  all  later  on,  the  present 
thing  is  to  try  one's  luck." 

But  that  evening  the  baron  had  no  luck ;    he 

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LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

waited  in  vain  for  the  Winklers.  They  were  all 
sitting  in  George's  rooms,  and  the  honorary  com- 
mercial adviser  to  the  Emperor  was  telling  them 
of  the  audience  he  had  had  with  His  Majesty, 
and  how  he  had  graciously  inquired  after  George 
and  expressed  his  pleasure  at  the  way  George 
had  acted  with  regard  to  the  ill-treatment  of 
soldiers.  He  went  on  to  tell  them  how  pleased 
His  Majesty  was  to  hear  a  good  report  of  him 
from  the  officers  and  of  his  popularity  among  his 
comrades.  His  Majesty  greatly  regretted  that, 
owing  to  other  arrangements,  he  could  not  keep 
his  promise  of  asking  George  to  dine  with  him 
to-morrow. 

"  Did  I  not  always  tell  you  so  ?  "  concluded 
the  old  man.  "  Do  you  remember  how  at  first 
you  wanted  to  fling  down  your  gun  in  despair  ? 
Who  was  right — you  or  I  ?  " 

George  exchanged  a  hasty  glance  with  his 
sister,  whom  he  had  informed  of  his  resolution 
yesterday ;  he  had  not  wanted  to  spoil  his  father's 
pleasure  in  seeing  him  again  on  the  very  first  day, 
and  he  also  wanted  to  prevent  his  father  from 
saying  anything  about  his  resignation  in  his 
audience  with  the  Emperor.  So  he  had  kept 
silent  till  this  moment,  but  now  he  was  obliged 
to  speak,  and  his  father's  last  words  made  the 
task  easy. 

"  What  if  I  am  right  after  all,  father.  When 
I  tell  you  I  am  just  as  much  an  '  outsider '  to- 
day as  I  ever  was,  when  I  tell  you  that  my 

298 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

position  in  the  regiment  was  not  improved  by  His 
Majesty's  praise  of  me,  and  that  the  officers' 
story  of  my  popularity  was  simply  a  lie  to  avoid 
vexing  the  Emperor — what  would  you  say  then  ?  " 

The  father  looked  at  his  son  with  astonishment. 

"  I  do  not  understand  what  you  mean  !  " 

"  I  will  explain  myself  a  little  more  fully." 
And  he  proceeded  to  relate  in  detail  all  that  had 
happened  to  him  from  the  very  first  day  he 
entered  the  regiment ;  how  they  longed  for  him 
to  send  in  his  resignation,  and  how,  at  last,  he 
had  made  up  his  mind  to  do  so,  not  to  please  the 
"  Golden  Butterflies,"  but  simply  in  order  to 
be  able  to  enjoy  life  once  more. 

The  father  listened,  absolutely  disconcerted, 
then  he  struck  a  sounding  blow  on  the  table. 
"  And  what  if  I  forbid  you  to  do  so,  and  order 
you  to  remain  an  officer  for  some  time  longer  ?  " 

George  looked  at  him  calmly.  "  You  will 
not  command  me  to  do  this,  father.  You  told 
me  when  I  entered  the  army  I  was  perfectly 
free  to  leave  it  whenever  I  liked,  and  you  will 
not  go  back  from  your  word." 

"  But  what  if  I  do — what  if  I  don't  want  the 
other  officers  to  triumph  in  your  failure  ?  " 

"  Then  I  should  resign  in  spite  of  it.  I  am  of 
age  and  can  do  what  I  like." 

The  old  man  was  on  the  verge  of  losing  com- 
plete self-control.  "  And  what  if  I  disinherit 
you  ?  " 

"  I  should  still  do  it.     I  have  savings  enough 

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LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

to  live  quite  free  from  all  anxiety  for  some  time 
to  come,  and  as  your  son  I  shall  soon  get  employ- 
ment somewhere." 

Again  his  father  was  about  to  burst  forth 
indignantly,  when  Elsa  broke  into  the  conversa- 
tion and  tenderly  soothed  him.  "  Don't  oppose 
him  any  more,"  she  entreated.  "  George 
thoroughly  discussed  the  matter  with  me  yester- 
day, and  to-day  I  vainly  tried  to  get  him  to  change 
his  mind ;  he  is  so  unhappy  as  an  officer  that 
one  can't  wish  him  to  be  forced  to  endure  it  any 
longer." 

The  old  man  sat  silent  for  a  long  time.  "  Mother 
will  be  frightfully  upset,"  he  said  at  last. 

The  brother  and  sister  exchanged  swift  glances; 
they  knew  that  the  battle  was  won,  but  they 
took  care  not  to  give  vent  to  their  feeling  of  satis- 
faction. 

"  Won't  you  mind  leaving  the  army  ?  " 

"  How  could  I,  after  all  the  humiliation  i 
have  endured  ?  I  rejoice  a  thousandfold  in 
taking  off  my  officer's  uniform,  which  apparently 
does  not  go  with  my  views  and  ideas,  although 
I  did  my  duties  very  well  compared  with  others." 

"  Is  not  every  officer  an  enthusiastic  soldier, 
then  ?  "  asked  Elsa. 

George  burst  out  laughing.  "  You  innocent 
angel !  I  can  assure  you  at  least  half  of  the 
lieutenants  would  give  in  their  resignations  at 
once  if  they  were  in  a  financial  position  to  do  so. 
The  best  proof  of  my  assertion  is  that  every 

300 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

lieutenant  tries  to  find  a  rich  wife ;  when  he  has 
found  one  he  either  leaves  the  army  immediately, 
or  stays  there  as  long  as  he  gets  any  enjoyment 
from  it.  If  it  becomes  too  dull  or  worrying  for 
him  he  throws  up  his  commission  and  says  to  his 
superiors,  '  See  how  you  can  manage  to  get  along 
without  me.  Other  people  can  be  driven  mad 
by  your  worrying  ways,  thank  Heaven  I  am  no 
longer  obliged  to  put  up  with  all  these  things.' 
Of  course  there  are  exceptions ;  there  are  the 
ambitious  and  energetic  men  who  want  to  get 
big  military  appointments,  who  dream  of  red 
stripes  on  their  trousers  and  the  title  of  Excellency ; 
it  may  be  hard  for  such  men  to  have  to  leave  the 
army.  And  then  there  are  certainly  a  few  who 
are  really  soldiers,  heart  and  soul,  but  their 
number  is  small — where  are  they  to  be  found  ? 
Among  the  subordinate  officers  I  have  scarcely 
known  a  single  lieutenant  who  did  not  curse  and 
swear  when  he  was  set  to  perform  a  duty,  and 
who  would  not  have  preferred  to  depart  at 
once  if  only  he  knew  how  he  was  to  earn  his 
living.  This  sounds  hard,  but  I  assure  you  it  is 
quite  true.  Even  when  a  lieutenant  says,  '  I 
like  being  an  officer,'  it  is  generally  because  of  the 
position  it  gives  him  in  Society  and  not  because 
he  likes  exercising  and  drilling  the  men.  And 
it  is  just  the  same  with  the  captain  as  with  the 
lieutenant ;  his  superiors  are  always  running 
after  him,  they  lead  him  a  hell  of  a  life,  and  are 
always  reprimanding  him  for  some  fault  or  other 

301 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

committed  by  his  men.  Who  could  enjoy  military 
duties  under  these  circumstances  ?  A  man  feels 
stifled.  Yet  the  wretched  captain  must  bear  it 
all  because  he  has  a  wife  and  children  and  no 
money,  because  he  is  forced  to  remain  in  the 
army  as  long  as  possible  to  get  the  higher  pension 
and  so  be  able  to  live.  He  is  worried  and  bothered 
from  morning  to  eve,  and  even  then,  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  he  does  not  succeed  in  getting 
what  he  wants,  and  has  later  on  to  suffer  poverty 
and  misery ;  and  if  he  abandons  his  uniform 
with  regret  it  is  not  because  he  is  sorry  to  leave 
the  army,  but  because  of  his  wasted  life.  He  is 
hi  full  possession  of  all  his  mental  and  physical 
faculties,  and  yet  he  is  condemned  to  inactivity 
and  ceaseless  money  worries.  Among  the  superior 
officers  there  is  certainly  to  be  found  an  enthusiasm 
for  the  army.  There  is  none  among  the  subordin- 
ates, at  least  not  in  the  infantry." 

The  father  was  peevish  and  ill-tempered ; 
he  controlled  himself  as  well  as  he  could,  but 
from  time  to  time  his  indignation  burst  forth, 
and  his  children  found  it  difficult  to  appease  him. 

"  And  are  you  really  going  to  give  in  your 
resignation  to-morrow  ?  Will  you  not  consider 
it  for  another  month  ?  Why  do  you  not  get 
leave  of  absence  for  a  year,  or  less,  if  you  like  ?  " 

George  shook  his  head.  "  The  sooner  I 
go  the  better,  father.  I  don't  get  on  among 
the  officers,  who  often  have  the  most  extra- 
ordinary views  on  things."  And,  as  if  in  con- 

302 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

firmation  of  these  words,  the  servant  brought 
in  a  letter  at  that  moment. 

"Is  there  any  answer  ?  " 

"  No." 

The  servant  went  away  and  George  opened  the 
letter. 

"  Whatever  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Elsa,  who 
had  been  watching  her  brother  while  he  was 
reading. 

George  jumped  up.  "  I  have  never  heard  such 
a  piece  of  insolence  in  my  whole  life.  Just  listen 
to  this ;  but  first  of  all  I  must  recall  to  you  one 
of  my  fellow-officers  who  was  sitting  in  the  same 
restaurant  with  us  yesterday." 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  odd  young  man  who  was  not 
quite  sure  at  first  whether  he  should  bow  to  us, 
and  then  afterwards  attempted  to  flirt  with 
me  so  outrageously,"  said  Elsa.  "  Well,  what 
about  him  ?  " 

"  Not  much,"  answered  George  apparently 
calmly.  "  He  merely  wishes  to  be  allowed  to 
ask  for  your  hand." 

Father  and  daughter  looked  at  one  another, 
speechless  with  astonishment,  then  Elsa  broke 
into  a  hearty  laugh,  in  which  the  others  joined 
too. 

"  Why,  he  doesn't  even  know  me,"  she  said. 

"  Oh,  that  isn't  in  the  least  necessary ;  he 
knows  your  fortune,  he  knows  that  you  are 
a  very  good  parti,  and  naturally  that's  quite 
enough  for  him.  A  man  can  get  on  all  right 

3°3 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

without  love,  but  not  without  money.  Well, 
now,  listen  to  what  this  fine  fellow  writes.  But 
I  must  tell  you  beforehand  that  from  the  first 
few  of]  my  comrades  were  so  unfriendly  to  me 
as  he  was." 
Then  he  read  out  the  letter : 

"  MY  VERY  DEAR  WINKLER, — I  am  sitting 
alone  and  solitary  in  the  restaurant,  and  for  a 
whole  hour  I  have  been  impatiently  watching 
the  door  in  the  hope  of  seeing  you  and  your 
people  come  in,  for  I  heard  by  chance  that  your 
father  had  ordered  dinner  here  for  this  evening. 

"  Without  telling  you,  you  will,  I  expect, 
have  already  guessed  that  I  only  went  into  the 
restaurant  to-day  in  the  happy  expectation  of 
being  introduced  to  your  sister  and  your  much- 
respected  father,  for  I  must  frankly  confess  to  you 
that  no  young  girl  has  ever  made  such  a  deep 
and  indelible  impression  upon  me  as  your  sister 
did.  Although  up  to  now  I  have  only  had 
the  opportunity  of  observing  her  beauty  and 
her  grace,  yet  I  am  quite  sure  that  a  beautiful 
soul  must  dwell  in  such  a  beautiful  body,  and  I 
have  only  one  wish  in  the  world — to  become 
acquainted  with  your  sister.  As  we  have  always 
had  such  pleasant  and  friendly  relations  with 
one  another  I  venture  to  ask  if  I  may  pay  my 
respects  to  your  highly-esteemed  father  and 
beautiful  sister,  and  I  beg  you  most  courteously 
to  say  a  few  kindly  words* on  my  behalf.  Naturally 

304 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

all  information  concerning  myself  and  my  financial 
position  is  at  your  father's  disposal  whenever  he 
likes.  In  conclusion,  I  beg  you  not  to  be  vexed 
at  the  somewhat  odd  nature  of  these  few  lines, 
but  I  know  that  your  father  is  only  staying  here 
for  a  few  days,  and  I  do  not  want  your  sister  to 
leave  Berlin  without  my  having  the  opportunity 
of  becoming  acquainted  with  her. 

"  Pray  accept  my  kindest  regards  for  your 
honoured,  but  at  present,  alas !  unknown, 
relatives,  and, — Believe  me,  with  best  greetings, 
yours  very  sincerely, 

"  VON  MASEMANN." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  say  to  that  ?  "  inquired 
George. 

"Is  it  possible  ?  "  cried  out  the  old  manu- 
facturer. "  I  must  say  I  have  never  heard  of 
such  a  thing  in  all  my  life." 

"  And  what  do  you  think  about  it,  Elsa  ?  " 

"  I  really  do  not  know  whether  to  laugh  or 
be  angry  about  it.  I  can't  think  how  he  isn't 
ashamed  to  write  such  a  letter." 

George  laughed  mockingly.  "  Ashamed  ? 
Why,  Elsa,  you  can  know  very  little  about  a 
lieutenant  if  you  think  he  would  be  ashamed 
of  anything.  Your  beauty  has  turned  his  head, 
you  have  a  big  fortune,  so  that's  all  right ;  he 
marches  to  victory  like  Blucher  to  Waterloo. 
If  he's  successful,  all  right,  if  he's  not,  then  he 
seeks  his  luck  somewhere  else ;  he  means  to 

305  u 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

catch  a  goldfish  somewhere  or  other.  The  more 
impudent  he  is  the  more  easily  he  attains  to  the 
object  of  his  desires." 

"  Not  as  far  as  we  are  concerned,"  burst  out 
the  commercial  adviser  to  the  Emperor.  "  Please 
tell  your  aristocratic  friend  to-morrow  from 
me " 

George  interrupted  him.  "No,  father,  I  have 
already  settled  about  the  answer.  He  won't 
much  care  about  it,  I  can  assure  you.  I  am 
going  to  ask  him  how  it  is,  that  he  has  been 
unable  to  have  any  social  intercourse  with  me 
and  yet  desires  to  marry  my  sister."  After  a 
pause  he  continued,  "It  is  really  a  pity,  Elsa, 
you  are  not  going  to  stay  here  a  few  days,  for 
then  you  would  have  had  all  the  officers  at  your 
feet ;  all,  from  the  oldest  staff-officer  down  to  the 
youngest  lieutenant,  would  try  to  curry  favour 
with  me  so  that  I  might  say  a  good  word  to  you 
on  their  behalf.  Your  thousands  would  induce 
even  the  most  aristocratic  lieutenant  who  usually 
boasts  of  his  numberless  ancestors,  to  recognise 
the  bourgeoisie  and  to  condescend  to  make  you 
his  highly-honoured  wife." 

"  A  fine  set  of  people  these,"  said  the  father, 
angrily. 

"  I  thank  them  for  the  honour  they  pay  me 
in  wishing  to  marry  me  for  my  money,  but  I 
don't  think  I  want  to  marry  at  all." 

George  regarded  his  sister  with  amusement. 
"  Ha,  ha,  one  day  you'll  find  the  flame  of  love, 

306 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

and  quite  right  too.  By  the  way,  how  old  are 
you — nineteen  or  twenty  ?  " 

"  I  am  twenty-one  now." 

"  And  has  no  one  seriously  paid  court  to 
you  ?  " 

She  burst  out  laughing.  "  Oh,  often,  like 
your  comrade  here  to-day,  but  I  did  not  care 
about  any  of  them,  for,  oddly  enough,  it  was 
always  officers  who  paid  me  attention,  always 
lieutenants,  and,  unfortunately,  the  only  lieu- 
tenant whom  I  love  I  cannot  get." 

George  looked  at  her  wonderingly.  "  Why 
not  ?  " 

"  Because  he  happens  to  be  my  brother." 

Laughingly  George  drew  his  sister  to  him. 
"  Come  here,  dear,  and  give  me  a  kiss."  Then 
he  went  on.  "  But  seriously,  Elsa,  you  have 
grown  much  more  beautiful  lately."  He  was 
delighted  with  his  sister's  looks :  she  had  a 
slim  figure,  a  proud  bearing,  beautiful  eyes,  and 
her  whole  appearance  was  charming. 

"  Do  you  know  that  you  are  very  like  Hilde- 
garde  in  many  ways  ?  "  he  said,  suddenly. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  he  had  actually 
said  her  name  to  his  people,  and  now  that  he 
had  done  it  he  felt  shy  and  was  quite  embarrassed 
at  his  sister's  glance. 

Their  father  had  meanwhile  taken  up  the 
evening  paper,  now  he  laid  it  aside.  "  Go 
on,  George,  'you  yourself  began  it,  you  know. 
You  have  so  often  written  to  us  about  your 

307 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

Hildegarde.  Who  and  what  is  she,  and  how  do 
you  stand  with  regard  to  her  ?  " 

George  tried  to  avoid  answering,  but  Elsa 
urged  him  to  speak.  "  Do  tell  me  something 
about  her.  In  your  letters  you  could  not  write 
enough  about  her — at  any  rate,  in  the  beginning  ! 
lately  I  have  heard  much  less  about  her.  Is 
she  vexed  with  you  about  anything  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  think  so,"  answered  George, 
after  a  moment's  thought ;  "at  any  rate  I  do 
not  know  of  any  reason  for  it.  I  told  you  that 
Hildegarde  was  a  relative  of  my  captain,  who 
is'  now  undergoing  imprisonment  in  a  fortress. 
Naturally  during  this  time  Frau  von  Warnow  does 
not  go  out,  and  so,  lately,  I  have  only  seen  Hilde- 
garde once  or  twice  quite  casually  in  the  street." 

"  Haven't  you  spoken  to  her  at  all  ?  " 

"  Twice  I  meant  to  do  so,  but  I  should  have 
had  to  inquire  how  the  Warnows  were,  and,  of 
course,  that  would  be  very  disagreeable  for  me." 

"  But  how  do  you  stand  with  regard  to  her," 
his  father  asked  for  the  second  time.  "  You 
know  your  mother  has  prophesied  for  a  long 
time  that  you  were  going  to  get  engaged  to  her. 
Is  she  right  ?  " 

"  As  you  ask  me  straight  out,  I  will  tell  you 
that  at  first  I  had  the  same  idea,  and  I  think  that 
if  this  horrible  business  had  not  come  between 
us,  and  if  we  had  seen  one  another  more  often, 
things  would  have  been  all  right,  but  now — 

Elsa    saw   such    a    sorrowful    and    despairing 

308 


AN  OFFER  OF  MARRIAGE 

look  in  her  brother's  face  that  she  said  to  him, 
"  But  won't  you  find  it  very  hard  to  go  away 
without  seeing  her  again  ?  " 

"  I  shall  see  her  once  again,"  answered  George, 
with  determination.  "  I  shall  pay  a  farewell 
visit.  I  shall  ask  Hildegarde  to  name  an  hour 
when  I  am  sure  to  see  her."  And  then,  acting 
on  a  sudden  impulse,  he  said :  "By  the  way, 
Elsa,  I  told  Hildegarde  all  sorts  of  things  about 
you.  I  told  her  you  wanted  to  become  acquainted 
with  her,  and  she  was  delighted.  Will  you  do 
me  a  favour  and  call  upon  her,  or,  better  still, 
ask  her  to  call  upon  you  at  the  hotel  ?  I  will 
be  there,  too,  and  then  when  we  meet  again 
after  several  weeks  we  shall  know  what  we  feel 
towards  one  another,  and  if  Hildegarde  loves 
me,  then " 

"  Not  so  fast,  my  boy,  not  so  fast,"  put  in  the 
old  man.  "  I  am  still  in  existence.  I.  should  like 
to  see  my  future  daughter-in-law  before  I  am 
called  up  to  consent  and  say  '  Amen.' ' 

George  had  a  sudden  vision  of  Hildegarde ; 
the  memory  of  the  delightful  hours  they  had 
spent  together  awakened  in  him  a  great  longing 
to  see  her  again. 

"  Oh,  you  will  like  Hildegarde,  father,  she  is 
beautiful  and  good,  and  in  spite  of  her  aristocratic 
birth  she  does  not  share  the  often  extraordinary 
views  of  her  class.  I  have  told  her  a  great  deal 
about  you,  father ;  about  the  factory,  your 
consideration  for  your  workpeople,  your  ceaseless 

309 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

activity,  and  she  was  interested  in  and  under- 
stood everything."  He  spoke  of  her  with  an 
ardour  and  an  enthusiasm  which  showed  how 
much  he  cared  for  her. 

"  And  what  sort  of  a  family  has  she  ?  "  inquired 
old  Winkler.  "  You  know  I  don't  care  whether 
she  has  money  or  not — you  need  not  trouble 
about  that — what  I  mean  is,  do  you  know  any- 
thing about  her  relations  ?  Has  she  any  brothers 
and  sisters  ?  What  are  her  parents  ?  " 

George  gave  what  information  he  could. 

"  Oh,  so  there's  a  scamp  of  a  lieutenant," 
grumbled  the  father;  "instead  of  parents  who 
have  no  money  making  their  son  learn  some 
business  or  other,  the  young  fellows  have  to 
become  officers,  so  that  they  may  get  drunk 
on  champagne  at  the  regimental  banquet." 

"  But  Hildegarde  cannot  help  that,"  George 
said,  as  if  he  had  to  protect  her :  "  and  what 
does  her  brother  matter  to  me  ?  " 

"What  does  he  matter?  Well  "—the  old 
man  got  up — "  a  man  does  not  only  marry  a 
wife,  but  the  whole  family,  take  that  from  me, 
my  boy,  and  so,  before  taking  any  steps,  we 
must  look  into  things  a  bit.  But  I  will  frankly 
confess  one  thing  to  you :  I  have  privately  long 
desired  you  to  marry.  It's  all  the  same  to  me 
whom,  as  long  as  you  love  her.  Well,  now  we 
can  go  and  see  your  Hildegarde." 


310 


CHAPTER  XI 
FAREWELL  TO  THE  ARMY  ! 

"  MY  son  just  engaged  to  your  daughter.  For 
Hildegarde's  sake  will  try  to  assist  you  and  your 
son.  Expect  you  both  to-morrow  for  consultation 
on  subject." 

This  telegram  sent  off  by  the  old  manufacturer 
caused  indescribable  excitement  in  the  major's 
home ;  weeping  with  joy  and  agitation  the 
husband  and  wife  flung  themselves  into  each 
other's  arms  and  blessed  the  day  on  which  Heaven 
had  given  them  Hildegarde. 

"  A  fine  girl,  a  good  girl,"  said  the  major  a 
dozen  times  over,  and  if  there  was  anything  that 
troubled  his  intense  joy  it  was  that  Hilda  was 
not  with  them.  He  would  so  much  have  liked 
to  take  her  in  his  arms,  and  in  his  somewhat 
rough  fashion  to  have  patted  her  on  the  shoulder 
and  said  :  "  You  have  done  well,  my  girl." 

He  laughed  hoarsely,  and  lit  the  dearest  cigar 
he  had  in  the  house.  One  ought  to  make  merry 
on  festivals  whenever  they  occur,  and  to-day 
was  truly  a  festival :  Hildegarde  engaged  to  the 
son  of  one  of  the  richest  wholesale  manufacturers, 
that  was  indeed  more  than  mere  good  luck,  and 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

almost  unconsciously  the  major  folded  his  hands 
and  thanked  the  good  God  for  having  sent  him 
so  rich  a  son-in-law.  He  read  and  re-read  the 
telegram  ;  he  could  not  at  once  take  in  the  whole 
extent  of  the  joyful  news,  and  the  oftener  he 
read  the  telegram  and  the  more  calmly  he 
gradually  accepted  its  contents,  the  more  he  took 
exception  each  time  to  the  words :  "  For  Hilde- 
garde's  sake  will  try  to  assist  you  and  your  son. 
Expect  you  both  to-morrow."  What  did  that 
mean — will  try ;  it  was  not  a  question  of  will, 
but  must.  Did  this  parvenu  imagine,  perhaps, 
that  the  major  would  give  his  beautiful  child, 
his  only  daughter,  to  his  son  without  his  having 
to  pay  heavily  for  it  ?  Oh,  no,  indeed  !  No  gains 
without  pains ;  if  the  honorary  commercial  adviser 
did  not  pay  his  debts  and  his  son's,  then  there 
would  be  no  engagement,  for  he,  as  father,  would 
never  give  his  consent.  That  would  indeed  be  a 
fine  thing  if  he  gave  his  child  to  the  first  best 
suitor  without  any  compensation.  "  No,  no,  that's 
not  what  was  intended,  that  won't  do  at  all." 

The  major  talked  himself  into  a  rage  over  the 
matter  to  his  wife,  who  vainly  tried  to  calm  him. 
"  You  don't  know  these  shop-keeping  creatures, 
they  grow  rich  by  haggling  ;  their  chief  character- 
istic is  avarice,  and  you  see  all  that  here.  Do 
you  suppose  a  decent  man  would  ask  what  were 
the  debts  of  the  father  and  mother  of  his  future 
daughter-in-law  ?  He  would  simply  pay  them, 
and  on  the  spot.  And  what  does  this  fellow 

312 


FAREWELL  TO  THE  ARMY 

say :  '  Expect  you  both  to-morrow  to  discuss 
affairs.'  He  ought  to  come  to  us,  and  ask  for 
our  daughter's  hand  on  his  son's  behalf  in  the 
proper  way,  instead  of  which  we  are  simply  com- 
manded to  come  to  him.  I,  an  old  major,  must 
receive  instructions  from  a  parvenu.  He  has  not 
a  trace  of  respect  for  my  noble  birth,  my  position, 
my  name;  he  has  the  money-bags,  so  we  must 
pipe  to  his  tune.  Well,  I  shall  soon  make  him  see 
how  matters  stand,  I  shall  soon  show  him  what  an 
honour  it  is  for  him  and  his  family  if  we  let  his 
son,  who,  as  far  as  I  know,  is  only  a  discharged  lieu- 
tenant, marry  our  Hilda.  I  will  soon  open  his  eyes." 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  room  grumbling 
and  cursing,  but  gradually  joy  in  Hildegarde's 
engagement  again  got  the  upper  hand,  and  earlier 
than  usual  he  went  off  to  his  special  table  at  the 
restaurant  in  order  to  relate  the  news  and  to 
receive  congratulations  on  the  happy  event. 

Next  morning  he  set  out  on  his  journey ;  his 
wife  had  wanted  to  accompany  him,  but  he 
would  not  allow  this.  "  Fritz  and  I  must  first 
have  a  talk  with  the  old  man  and  arrange  affairs. 
I  will  telegraph  you  how  things  are,  and  then  you 
might  come.  I  repeat,  if  the  old  fellow  does  not 
pay  up  at  once,  there  will  be  no  engagement." 

Fritz,  who  met  his  father  on  the  way,  quite 
agreed  with  him.  He  had  also  received  a  tele- 
gram in  which  was  expressed  only  a  desire  to  help, 
and  he  was  no  less  angry  than  his  father.  "  You 
are  quite  right  in  what  you  say,  papa,  there  is 

313 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

only  one  thing  to  be  done,  we  must  simply 
threaten  to  take  Hildegarde  immediately  home 
with  us  if  he  does  not  consent  to  everything 
we  want.  We  must  act  very  energetically,  and 
show  fight,  but  above  all  we  must  make  the  old 
fellow  feel  what  an  enormous  social  barrier 
divides  us  ;  then  you  see  he  will  look  small." 

But  the  old  manufacturer  was  very  far  removed 
from  looking  small. 

In  the  conversation  that  had  taken  place  be- 
tween Hildegarde  and  Elsa,  the  former  had  con- 
sidered it  her  duty  to  tell  her  new  friend  frankly 
about  her  family  affairs,  and  to  confess  quite 
plainly  how  she  had  been  sent  year  after  year 
to  Berlin  to  get  a  rich  husband.  With  tears 
she  confessed  she  loved  George,  but  declared 
she  must  renounce  him,  for  she  could  not  endure 
that  George  should  believe,  even  for  a  moment, 
that  she  loved  him  for  his  money.  At  first 
when  Elsa  heard  this  she  assumed  a  somewhat 
distant  air,  then  she  felt  the  most  sincere  sympathy 
for  Hildegarde,  whose  every  word  showed  clearly 
and  distinctly  how  good  and  true  she  was.  Elsa 
tried  to  console  her  to  the  best  of  her  ability, 
and  assured  her  that  George  would  not  doubt 
her,  but  that  his  love  would  be  all  the  greater 
when  he  heard  what  a  sad  life  she  had  had.  Elsa 
undertook  to  inform  her  father  what  Hildegarde 
had  told  her,  and  at  the  first  moment  he  was 
quite  overcome,  and  kept  on  saying  to  his  son — 
"  George,  leave  the  thing  alone,  give  up  all 


FAREWELL  TO  THE  ARMY 

thoughts  of  Hildegarde,  don't  be  drawn  into 
that  wretched  family  affair."  But  he  made  no 
further  opposition  after  he  had  seen  Hildegarde 
and  had  had  an  hour's  conversation  with  her 
tete-a-tete.  He  took  his  son  aside  and  said, 
"  George,  the  girl's  an  angel,  we  must  make  her 
happy  and  compensate  her  for  all  she  has  gone 
through  by  a  future  without  a  care  or  worry." 

So  they  had  all  taken  counsel  together  as  to 
how  Hildegarde' s  relatives  were  to  be  helped. 
Hildegarde  had  told  them  the  extent  of  the  debts 
so  far  as  she  remembered  it  from  her  last  visit 
home,  and  at  last  it  was  arranged  that  old  Winkler 
should  pay  one  half  of  the  debts,  and  George, 
out  of  his  own  income,  the  other.  Besides  this, 
Winkler  intended  to  put  aside  a  certain  sum 
every  year,  from  which  Hildegarde  could  make 
her  parents  an  allowance,  and  so  they  would 
be  removed  from  all  pecuniary  anxiety. 

It  was  more  difficult  to  arrange  what  was 
to  be  done  about  Fritz.  George  wanted  to 
pledge  himself  to  give  his  brother-in-law  a 
monthly  allowance,  but  Hildegarde  shook  her 
head  at  this.  "  There  is  really  no  object  in 
doing  that,  George.  If,  in  your  kindness,  you 
were  to  give  him  thousands  and  thousands,  it 
would  be  so  much  money  thrown  away.  The 
more  Fritz  has  the  more  he  needs.  He  would 
never  manage  on  whatever  he  had ;  he  would 
always  borrow  from  us,  he  would  not  stop  gamb- 
ling, and  if  we  wouldn't  help  him  he  would 

315 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

borrow  on  I  0  U's,  and  would  soon  be  as  deeply 
in  debt  as  he  is  to-day.  It  is  sad  for  his  own 
sister  to  have  to  say  this,  but  I  can  only  see  one 
way  of  helping  Fritz — he  must  leave  the  army 
and  go  abroad.  He  will  never  be  any  better 
until  he  works  and  earns  his  own  living  and  so 
gets  to  understand  the  value  of  money." 

"  Hildegarde  is  right,"  agreed  the  old  manu- 
facturer. "  Hildegarde  is  certainly  the  most 
sensible  girl  I  have  ever  known,  and  if  she,  who 
knows  her  brother  so  well,  says  that  there  is  no 
other  means  of  helping  him  except  a  change  of 
climate,  then  he  shall  have  it.  Let  him  go  to 
America,  I  have  business  connections  there,  and 
can  easily  get  him  a  post.  He  shall  not  starve, 
I  will  see  to  that  all  right,  but  he  shall  only  get 
as  much  money  as  will  keep  him  from  want. 
He  will  therefore  be  forced  to  work  for  his  living." 

Thus  all  was  settled  and  arranged  when  the 
major  and  his  son  arrived,  and  at  the  sight  of 
the  absolute  calmness  and  firm  determination 
which  were  visible  in  the  manufacturer's  whole 
bearing,  they  were  quite  unable  to  carry  out 
their  proposal  and  take  the  high  hand.  They 
could  not  explain  why,  but  as  they  sat  with 
the  old  man,  they  were  almost  ill  at  ease  when 
he  asked  them  about  their  debts,  and  told  them 
in  what  way  he  proposed  to  settle  them. 

Fritz  could  hardly  believe  his  ears  when  he 
was  told  he  was  to  leave  the  army.  He  opposed 
it  as  much  as  ever  he  could,  but  he  was  so  deeply 


FAREWELL  TO  THE  ARMY 

involved  that  he  could  not  hang  on  for  more 
than  a  few  weeks.  It  would,  therefore,  be  best 
for  him  after  all  to  resign  at  once.  But  if  he 
left  the  army  there  was  really  no  object  in  paying 
his  debts  at  once ;  the  people  could  wait  for 
them,  he  would  be  quite  content  to  go  on  owing 
them  money.  He  made  this  clear  to  old  Winkler, 
who  might  thus  save  the  money  and  give  him 
a  few  more  thousand  marks  for  his  journey. 

"  For  you  to  gamble  them  away  on  board 
ship.  No,  there's  no  sense  in  that,  and  quite 
apart  from  that,  in  our  plebeian  circles  it  is 
considered  honourable  to  fulfil  one's  obligations. 
Surely  you,  who  belong  to  a  class  which  is  nick- 
named nowadays  '  the  first  class/  ought  not 
to  think  differently  in  this  matter.  I  should  not 
have  expected  this  of  you." 

Fritz  could  not  help  feeling  uncomfortable, 
and  both  father  and  son  were  delighted  when 
Elsa  inquired  whether  lunch  could  not  be  served, 
and  so  brought  the  conversation  to  an  end. 

The  major  was  in  the  seventh  heaven :  his 
debts  were  paid,  he  received  an  extra  allowance, 
he  had  no  longer  any  need  to  give  his  son  any 
money,  and  henceforth  he  could  live  free  from 
care.  He  did  not,  of  course,  quite  like  it  that 
his  son  Fritz  should  have  to  go  abroad,  but 
if  the  old  manufacturer  insisted  upon  it,  why 
one  must  agree  to  it,  and  perhaps  he  might 
find  a  rich  wife  there.  In  America  there  were 
still  people  who  thought  aristocratic  birth  more 

317 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

than  out-weighed  gold,  and,  besides,  America 
was  not  far  off,  he  could  be  back  again  in  a  few 
days,  if  need  be.  He  whispered  all  this  to  his 
son,  when  he  was  alone  with  him  for  a  moment, 
and  Fritz  made  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain.  Father 
and  son  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  excellent  luncheon 
of  which  they  all  partook,  and  appeared  to  take 
no  notice  of  the  somewhat  cold,  distant  behaviour 
of  the  Winklers  at  the  beginning  of  the  interview. 

Next  day  the  manufacturer  with  his  children 
and  Hildegarde  intended  to  go  home. 

He  would  indeed  have  gone  on  this  day  but 
George,  who  had  given  in  his  resignation,  had 
invited  the  "  Golden  Butterflies  "  to  a  splendid  ban- 
quet, and  at  six  o'clock  the  whole  of  the  corps  of  offi- 
cers were  assembled  in  a  splendid  suite  of  rooms  in 
the  best  hotel  in  Berlin.  George  in  his  heart  disliked 
all  this  ostentation,  but  on  this  occasion  he  had 
ordered  the  best  and  most  expensive  of  everything. 
The  French  champagne  flowed  in  streams,  the 
finest  wines,  the  best  viands  were  set  before  them. 

George  as  the  host  sat  between  the  colonel  and 
the  major,  and  secretly  he  was  immensely  amused 
to  notice  how  the  former  was  beginning  to  think 
about  his  speech. 

"  What  is  he  going  to  say  ?  "  thought  George. 
"  Does  not  the  man  see  that  this  farewell  banquet 
is  a  pure  farce  ?  There  is  not  a  single  being  at 
the  table  who  is  not  delighted  that  I  am  going, 
and  yet  they  all  come  here  to  stuff  themselves 
at  my  expense,  and  to  get  more  or  less  drunk." 


FAREWELL  TO  THE  ARMY 

In  a  few  words  George  bade  his  guests  welcome, 
and  wished  them  a  pleasant  evening.  That 
was  all  he  said.  He  could  not  bring  himself 
somehow  to  say  that  he  was  delighted  to  be  once 
more  among  his  dear  old  comrades  again,  or 
something  of  the  kind.  He  had  only  said  what 
was  absolutely  necessary  for  the  occasion,  and, 
therefore,  he  was  all  the  more  curious  to  see  how 
the  colonel  would  reply  to  his  remarks.  The 
latter  struck  his  glass,  and  rose,  his  example 
being  followed  by  all  the  other  officers. 

"  Gentlemen,"  began  the  colonel,  amid  pro- 
found silence,  "  we  are  to-day  assembled  for  the 
last  time  to  do  honour  to  a  beloved  comrade, 
who  is  leaving  not  only  us,  but  the  army,  to  go 
into  his  father's  business  as  worker  and  partner. 
Although  it  is  usually  the  custom  for  the  depart- 
ing officer  to  be  entertained  by  his  corps,  to-day 
it  is  otherwise,  and  it  is  we  who  are  the  guests 
and  you  the  host,  because  we  believe  by  this 
means  to  show  you,  dear  Winkler,  how  delighted 
we  are  once  more  to  have  you  in  our  midst. 
To  invite  you  to  a  dinner  would  have  been  the 
ordinary  etiquette  of  the  regiment,  but  etiquette 
does  not  oblige  us  to  accept  your  invitation. 
The  fact  that  everyone  of  us  is  here  is  a  clear  and 
eloquent  sign,  dear  Winkler,  that  all  who  are 
here  have  not  a  word  to  say  against  you.  I  can- 
not deny  that  there  were  at  one  time  differences 
between  you  and  the  other  officers,  but  to-day 
shows  that  all  those  have  disappeared.  And  so, 

319 


LIFE  IN  A  GERMAN  CRACK  REGIMENT 

with  sincere  regret,  we  witness  your  departure 
from  our  midst,  although  you  have  only  been 
here  such  a  short  time,  and  our  wishes  for  your 
health  and  prosperity  in  the  future  are  expressed 
in  the  toast.  Three  cheers  for  our  former  comrade, 
Lieutenant  Winkler.  Hurra  !  hurra  !  hurra  !  " 

"  Coldly  as  they  received  me  into  the  regiment, 
coldly  they  bid  me  good-bye,"  thought  George 
during  the  colonel's  speech.  "  Not  a  single 
kindly  word  for  me,  merely  a  variation  on  the 
theme — what  fine,  good-natured  fellows  we  are 
for  coming  here  to-day  on  your  account." 

The  hurras  rang  out,  the  band  struck  up  a 
fanfare,  and  then  the  song,  "  Ich  hatte  einen 
Kamraden,  einen  bessern  fandst  du  nicht." 

"  I  am  to  have  that  as  well,"  thought  George, 
and  a  feeling  of  bitterness  rose  within  him. 
"  Lies  and  hypocrisy  to  the  very  end." 

The  colonel  drew  him  into  the  conversation,  but, 
while  George  was  apparently  listening  to  a  des- 
cription of  an  incident  in  the  war,  his  thoughts  were 
far  away.  He  looked  at  his  comrades  who  from 
joy  at  getting  rid  of  him  had  drunk  more  than 
was  good  for  them,  and  many  of  whom  would 
soon  be  completely  intoxicated.  And  suddenly  a 
feeling  of  joy  which  he  could  not  prevent  came  over 
him  that  in  future  he  would  no  longer  belong  to  a 
profession,  the  majority  of  whose  members  had 
not  yet  learned  to  work  and  to  take  life  seriously ; 
and  who  had  not  yet  grasped  the  real  nature 
of  its  task — that  of  educating  the  German  vouth. 


Wyman  *•  Sons  Lid.,  Printers,  London  and  Reading. 


•</  .  Bl 


DATE  DUE 


JOV  29  1976 


